


Facades

by CouchNinja



Series: Miraculous Ladybug: Facades Series [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Depression, I PROMISE IT MAKES SENSE, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It's for a school play, Marinette is an Angel, POV Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Phantom of the Opera - Freeform, Sad with a Happy Ending, Season three where, The play is genderbent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 38,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24549703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CouchNinja/pseuds/CouchNinja
Summary: Adrien has been hurt and traumatized over the years. He has learned to wear facades to keep himself from more pain.Can he be convinced to take off his masks? Will an unlikely girl show him a way out of his way of life?*Completed work. Just posting as I edit it*
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Miraculous Ladybug: Facades Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825879
Comments: 266
Kudos: 203





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers! This is my first darker fic, so I hope it is done well. If you have any ways you feel it could be better, feel free to let me know.  
> I came up with this idea a long time ago, but I finally wrote it. Because of the time lag, there are a lot of things that have become canon that are not in my story. For instance, Adrien's mother is in fact dead in this.  
> I hope everyone reading enjoys!

Adrien Agreste strutted down the halls of Lycee Francoise Dupont. The sixteen-year-old had been attending this prestige school for about a year now. He remembered how he practically begged his father to go to a real school. He had been so excited to no longer be home schooled and leave the house he hated so much. 

He looked forward to being around people and learning new things. Not that anyone at the school would have thought this. He made sure he never showed just how much he liked being at school. He never showed much of anything. That would destroy his reputation.

As he walked down the hall, the other students scrambled out of his way. No one wanted to get in the way of the rebellious, aggressive Agreste. If they did, they would get hurt.

Adrien was accustomed to the stares and whispers as he passed. As long as he could remember, he had lived with people constantly paying attention to him. That was one of many side effects of being the son of Gabriel Agreste, the world-famous fashion designer. And after his father had forced him to start modeling for the company, his fame had skyrocketed.

“Mister Agreste.”

Adrien turned to see Principle Damocles beckoning him. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to the man.

“Your teacher informed me you missed the entire first period today. Is that true?”

The blonde huffed. “I don’t see the big deal. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

“That’s exactly why it’s a big deal, mister. This is the third time this month.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, refusing to make eye contact with the man. Most students wouldn’t dare dismiss the respectable principle, but he had no trouble with it. He would dismiss anyone. “Whatever.”

“Not ‘whatever’, young man. If you do not take this seriously, I will be forced to call up your father and inform him of this behavior.”

Turning a confident gaze to the man, Adrien sassed, “Go ahead. He was the reason I was late in the first place. Made me do a stupid photoshoot. I’m sure he would be thrilled that you called him up and told him to stop his son from performing in his career.”

His father had always been very strict on his lessons. Chinese. Fencing. Piano. Design. Modeling. Not that Adrien had any say in the matter. If he did, he wouldn’t be doing any of it. He hated being forced. But he didn’t dare stop. The few times he did, there were grave consequences.

Adrien remembered the first time he didn’t meet his father’s desires. He hadn’t practiced his piano between lessons. Now, he loved music. It always made him feel free. It let him show what he was feeling in a way no words ever could. Especially when he wrote his own. But he had felt sick and not been up to practicing. His instructor got so mad at him. The man talked to his father on the matter, saying he would only continue teaching the boy if he put in commitment. He refused to teach slackers.

Gabriel had barged into his son’s room, screaming at him how much of a disgrace he was. How he could never do anything right. How he needed to work harder if he wanted to be worth anything to anyone.

Adrien had mumbled that his mother had always told him differently. That he would be loved no matter what happened, and how she would support him if he wanted – or didn’t want – to do something.

His father had grown furious at the mention of his wife. All these years later, Adrien could still vividly picture the rage on his face. His hand pulling back. The blur of movement as it collided with his stinging cheek.

Rrrrriiiiiing.

The school bell signaled that all students needed to be in their class.

“If you’ll excuse me, sir,” Adrien said. “I really have to get to class. I would never want to be late.”

With that, he pushed pass Principle Damocles, grinning at his escape from the situation. 

He continued down the hall and entered his history classroom just as Miss Bustier called attendance. As he opened the door, the lady turned to him and sent him that sweet smile only she gave. 

He would never say so, but she was his favorite teacher. She might not teach his favorite class – that would be science, but he didn’t like that teacher – but she was always so kind to him. Most people treated him with resentment and annoyance because of his attitude. But Miss Bustier was always kind and gentle and brought out the best in him. She took time to treat him like a person. She reminded him of his mother.

“Glad you could join us,” she said in that gentle, singsong voice he adored. “Take a seat please.”

Adrien quietly moved to his seat and sat down. He glanced at Nino who sat beside him. They didn’t hang out or anything, but Nino seemed like a cool guy. If there wasn’t such a huge social rank gap, they would probably be friends. But Nino hung out with the good kids, so Adrien ignored him.

The lesson went smoothly. He took mental notes on what he needed to learn. He never wrote them down though. Couldn’t let anyone see he actually cared. That would give people expectations of him. Expectations meant disappointment. Disappointment meant pain. He didn’t need more pain.

At the end of the class, his teacher announced a large project on people who did or made something to change the world. To his utmost dismay, he was assigned to work with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was the epitome of a good girl. Straight A student. Always doing the right thing. Always helping people. He tried to avoid her as much as possible. Didn’t want to get wrapped up in her fake, expressive world.

Marinette approached him as class was dismissed.

“Here,” she said, handing him a piece of paper. “That’s my number. You can text me, and we can figure out how we will go about this project.”

Adrien laughed. “You really think I’m gonna put in any work for this stupid thing?”

The pigtailed girl placed her hands on her hips and glared at him in confidence. “Look. I know you don’t care about your grades. But I do. And you are stuck in this with me. So you are going to help me.”

Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off.

“Nope. No buts. We are going to do this thing. Together. As instructed. And we will get a good grade on it.” She pointed a finger at him. “I expect a text saying when we can meet up by tonight.”

With that, she turned and walked out the door.

Well, this would be interesting.


	2. Chapter Two

Adrien flopped onto his bed after sending Marinette a text. It had taken a great deal of time for him to find a spot in his schedule where he could meet with her. 

Now, meeting with her did not mean he would actually do work. He could easily fight that. He simply didn’t want to be pestered by her over and over about meeting up. And frankly, he would take any excuse to get out unsupervised.

Adrien fiddled in boredom. There were plenty of things he could – and probably should – be doing. Projects. Studies. Practicing. He didn’t feel like doing any of that though. He was a master procrastinator. He had learned how to do things that took most people a long time at the very last minute. The advantages of being a superhero.

He looked at the black miraculous on his finger, remembering how he got it. He was in the school locker room when he saw the strange box. He picked it up. Opening it, he found a black ring inside. Clearly, whoever had owned it must not have cared that much about it to leave it lying there. Finders keepers. Adrien put the box in his bag and forgot about it for the time being.

When he was emptying his bag that night, he saw the box. Once again, he opened it. The obsidian ring was very plain. No decorations. Just a simple band. Adrien liked it. It was much simpler than the flashy jewelry his father usually had him wear. He took the ring and spun it in his fingers before sliding it on.

Immediately, there was a flash of light before him. He jumped back in fear, hiding behind the couch. Once the light faded, there was a strange, black, flying creature hovering in the air. It yawned and looked around the room. Spotting the boy, the strange being spoke.

“You got any cheese?”

Adrien blinked. “What?”

The creature huffed. “I said, you got any cheese? Preferably camembert. I’m starving.” The little creature started hovering around the room.

Adrien stood and cautiously strode after it. “What are you?” he questioned.

The being spun around with a look of annoyance. “A kwami. Don’t you know anything?”

Adrien scrunched his face in confusion. “What on earth is a kwami?”

“The being in the miraculous. I give you your powers.”

“Powers? Miraculous?’’

“Yeah. That ring on your finger. It’s a miraculous. It gives you super-powers. Isn’t that why you put it on?”

Adrien shook his head. “I just thought it looked cool.”

“Wow. The Guardian must be getting lazy if he lets just anyone take a miraculous.”

“Guardian? Wait. Are there more miraculous out there? Like, a whole army of people with these rings?”

“No, idiot. There is only on cat miraculous. That’s what you have. There are a whole bunch of other miraculous though. But they have different kwamis and different powers.”

“Oh. Okay.” 

Adrien’s head was spinning. What had he gotten himself into? This kwami was going to give him magical super-powers? And there were other people with powers too? 

He hadn’t asked for this. He already had enough on his plate. Besides, he was nothing like a hero. He had learned to live in indifference, putting on a tough, bad-boy facade to make people leave him alone. If his father had taught him anything, it was that people meant getting hurt. If he didn’t get close to people, learn who they are, put a personality to a name…. wait a second.

“What’s your name, exactly?” he asked.

“Plagg.”

“Just Plagg?”

“Yup. Now, about that cheese….”

“I’m not giving you cheese.”

“And why not?”

“Because then you will stay.”

“Well I’m staying no matter what. As long as that ring is on your finger, you’re stuck with me.”

“Well then I’ll just take it off.” Adrien reached to remove the ring, but the kwami flew over and stopped him.

“No! You can’t do that!” he cried.

“And why not?”

Plagg sighed. “Look. I don’t know who you are or what your deal is, but if you found the miraculous, it was on purpose. Nothing happens on accident. Especially when it comes to the Guardian. You have the opportunity to be a great hero. To help people.”

Adrien snickered at the prospect. “Look. You clearly don’t know a thing about me. I have no interest in helping people. People aren’t nice to me, I’m not nice to them. That’s how the world works.”

Plagg flew directly in front of his face, latching onto his nose with his tiny paws. He looked deep into the boy’s eyes, making him uncomfortable. It was almost like the little being was staring directly into his soul.

“I don’t think you actually believe that,” Plagg said. “I think you were hurt somehow, and you cover up your pain by being mean. I get it. You don’t want to ruin your reputation. But this is the perfect opportunity for you. You can learn to be good in disguise. With me. Just think about it. All the freedom you can have. No one will know who you are under the mask. What do you say?”

Adrien thought for a moment. This could be great for him. He always wanted to know what it would be like to not be known solely as Gabriel Agreste’s son. To be free of the ties he was currently confined by. This could be his little taste of freedom. He could be himself. No facades. Just himself.

He thought of how his mother had always told him to be himself, no matter what anyone said. She always said he would do great things that way. He would be her own little hero….

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

That night, Adrien had snuck out for the first time as Chat Noir. He didn’t use any powers. He didn’t make a big scene. He just ran around the city, enjoying the freedom he was experiencing for the first time. No body guards. No schedule. No reputation to uphold. It was liberating.

Just as he was about to head home, he heard a commotion. He bounded towards the source and spotted some thugs ganging up on a woman. He wasn’t exactly sure what he could do in that moment. He almost turned away. This seemed like something the police should handle. But the woman’s pleading eyes met his for a split second. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did nothing.

He dropped down in front of the two men. “Hey. You know scaring innocent ladies isn’t cool, right?” he said casually. Maybe if he acted unphased they wouldn’t see that he was absolutely terrified and had no clue what he was doing.

“Who are you?” one of the guys asked.

“Chat Noir.” He positioned himself in a fighting stance. Thankfully, his attitude and reputation had placed him in enough fist fights to make him confident in that area. “So, what’s it gonna be, guys? Leave the easy way, or get your butts handed to you.”

The two thugs looked at each other. “We can take that pipsqueak down, no problem,” one said.

“Eh,” the other shrugged. “It’s not worth it. Let’s go.” And just like that they were gone.

Adrien breathed I sigh of relief. He really hadn’t wanted to fight those guys. He turned to the woman to make sure she was okay.

She was clearly still in shock, but besides that she seemed fine. She smiled at him in appreciation. “Thank you, Chat Noir.”

“No problem, Ma’am.” He saluted her. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta get going.” He darted away.

He heard the lady call after him. “You be safe! Keep up the good work!”

No one had told him something so encouraging in years. People always told him he was a failure, he should work harder, he should do better, he wasn’t good enough. But this stranger thought he was doing something worthwhile. And succeeding at it. And for some reason, that meant something to him. 

And just like that, Adrien knew he wasn’t going to give up the title Chat Noir any time soon.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more backstory in this chapter. I promise the plot will start progressing soon.  
> Hope you like it.

“Isn’t it time for you to meet up with Ladybug?” Plagg inquired.

Adrien reached for his phone and checked the time. Sure enough, it was time for them to patrol. He dragged himself out of bed and walked to the open window.

“Plagg. Claws out!” The kwami flew into the miraculous, and Adrien transformed into Chat Noir.

Effortlessly, he zipped through Paris towards the meeting spot.

It had taken him a long time to master his staff and enhanced abilities. By now, it was practically instinct. 

No matter how many times he left his father’s mansion and bounded around the city, it was always thrilling and liberating. In the mask, he felt like a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. He felt more at easy. A mask made him more openly himself. How ironic.

He landed on the Eiffel Tower. Looking around, he spotted the red and black suited girl, tapping her foot impatiently. He smiled. He knew she wouldn’t have gone out without him. He couldn’t imagine going out without her either.

He first heard of a vigilante named Ladybug about a month after he became Chat Noir. Plagg told him it was probably a girl with the ladybug miraculous. Apparently, there is always a Ladybug near a Chat Noir. Something about the miraculous being two halves, balancing each other out. Whatever. He didn’t care. A partner would just slow him down. Connections and relationships never helped anything.

Chat Noir kept going about his business, ignoring the rumors of his fellow hero. Until they met at a robbery scene.

Chat Noir heard the commotion and rushed in to stop it. He was fighting off one culprits when another attacked him from behind. Before he could respond, a red streak slammed into the robber, knocking him to the ground.

“Need some help?” asked smiling a girl wearing a red and black polka dotted suit similar to his own full black one.

Chat Noir didn’t like her. She seemed too energetic. Too happy go-lucky. She was the kind he avoided. They were always fake. Not that he wasn’t. But he still didn’t see how she would be of any use in a fight with her nice attitude. 

“No thanks. I got this.”

As he said this, one of the thieves shoved him from behind, pushing him to the ground. As the man ran past her, the pig-tailed girl punched him and knocked him unconscious. She walked over to Chat Noir and bent down, offering her hand. “I think you do.”

He swatted it away. “I would have been fine on my own if you hadn’t distracted me.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, kitty. If you ever need my help, just shout for Ladybug.” She pulled out what looked like a giant yo-yo and used it to swing away.

“Don’t worry! I won’t!” he shouted after her.

The two ran into each other time and time again. Chat Noir started to notice she was a great fighter. Very quick thinker. Good on her feet too. He still didn’t want to ally himself with her though. He didn’t need attachments.

Then, Hawkmoth showed up. Their nemesis turned people with strong negative emotions into monsters that terrorized the city.

The first time this happened, Adrien was frantic. He had no clue how to stop something so dangerous. Plagg said it could only be taken down if he worked together with Ladybug and used their powers on it. Oh joy. 

Adrien had hated the thought at first, but as they worked together to take it down, he realized the girl wasn’t so bad. She could actually be pretty fun to work with. He still hoped he wouldn’t have to fight beside her again.

After they stopped the villain, Ladybug purified the akuma. She skipped over to him. As she approached, she formed a fist and threw it towards him. 

Chat Noir stepped back, wondering why on earth she was hitting him. Not that his father ever had a good reason. He guessed he was just a good punching bag. When the impact never came, he looked up. The girl gazed at him confused, arm extended as if to fist bump.

“Pound it?” she questioned. It was so sweet and innocent that Chat Noir couldn’t help but give her the fist bump she asked for.

“Pound it,” he said in return.

She beamed up at him. It was so contagious. Normally, Adrien would have fought the urge to smile back. But it wasn’t Adrien standing before her. It was Chat Noir. So, he allowed himself a small smile.

“You know,” Ladybug began. “I always hoped we could work together. As partners. I’m glad to see we probably will.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Why would you want to work with me?”

The pigtailed girl looked surprised by his question. “Are you serious? You’re the reason I stared doing this in the first place. I saw on the news what you were doing, and I was so inspired. Then, when I found my own miraculous, I knew I wanted to be out here. Doing what you were doing. Helping people in ways no one else could.”

Chat Noir scoffed at her naivety. “You are clearly confused. I never wanted to be some famous hero. It just happened. It’s more for myself than anyone else. I am not one you should aspire to be like.” He hung his head, refusing to meet her gaze. “If you knew me without this mask, you would probably despise me.”

“I think you’re better than you think you are.” Ladybug looked at him with a spark of determination he had never seen the likes of. “And I am going to make it my personal mission to ensure you see it yourself.”

Adrien didn’t know why that meant so much. Someone was looking up to him? And wanted to show him that he wasn’t a bad person? Clearly that wouldn’t happen. She would soon realize she had been wrong and want nothing more to do with him….

But for now, it seemed he would have a partner. And thinking of the way she looked at him. That smile. Those eyes. The way she had called him a hero. He didn’t think he would mind.

Over time, they grew closer. Each time they fought an akuma, Chat Noir felt as if their bond strengthened. He had to admit, that scared him. But he did it anyway. In the beginning, he kept waiting for her to abandon him. As time passed, he dared to think that might not happen.

He became drawn to her in a way he had never been drawn to someone before. She treated him with such kindness. No one else treated him like that or looked at him the way she did. She made him feel alive. He was more relaxed around her than he was with anyone else. 

He realized he liked her. Like, like liked her. He would never admit it though. He didn’t want to ruin anything. And he knew nothing would ever happen between them. There was no way someone like her could feel the same way about him. He wasn’t worth it. He was content to just fight crime together. That was all it could ever be.

Chat Noir shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. Silently, he walked across the tower’s beams until he was right behind the girl.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the dynamic between Chat and Ladybug is good. I tried to convey how they had grown close because of all the conflicts they go through together, but Chat still pushes Ladybug away because of mental problems like self-doubt. I hope this comes across well. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Ladybug spun around, hands flying to her hips. “And where have you been?”

He flashed her his classic, Chat Noir smirk. Well, technically he learned it as Adrien in a modeling session, but he never used it outside of a photo shoot. Unless he was Chat Noir.

“Good to see you to, My Lady. I hope you didn’t miss your purr-ecious partner too much.”

He had learned early on people liked him better if he was funny. That was the only way he knew how to come across as a somewhat nice person. Besides, it was easier to joke around than be genuine and show his true colors.

“Oh ha ha,” Ladybug replied dryly. 

The two looked out at the city before them. It shone beautifully in the night all the small lights illuminating it with a soft glow. This was Adrien’s favorite time of day. It was always so peaceful. So quiet.

“You ready to go?” Ladybug questioned.

Chat Noir gestured towards the ground with his hand. “After you.”

He couldn’t remember when they started patrolling together. They had both done it separately from the get-go. One day, they must have just crossed paths and started going together. That’s okay. It was always better with Ladybug’s company. He actually looked forward to their scheduled patrols.

There was rarely an akuma attack while they patrolled. It was more of a look-for-small-crimes operation. They both enjoyed it none the less. It was nice to not always face imminent danger or be taking down huge threats.

They went along their route at their normal pace, but something was different. Typically, there was talking along the way. Ladybug had talked non-stop in the beginning, never running out of her bubbly energy. As time had passed, she had matured. She was still lively and energetic, but not to the same childlike extent. Courtesies of fighting super villains all the time. Therefore, they didn’t speak as much as they used to. Just little bits here and there. It was usually random snippets of meaningless small talk. Nothing super important. Just friendly conversation.

Not tonight though. Between leaving and returning to the Eiffel Tower, there had not been a single word uttered between them.

“Okay, Bugaboo. What’s up?”

Ladybug shuffled her feet. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied, feigning ignorance. It was not convincing.

“Come on, now, Ladybug. We both know you can’t lie. Seriously. What’s up?”

The girl just shrugged. She sat down on a beam, swinging her legs as she looked over the edge.

Chat Noir plopped down beside her. He didn’t want to push her. That wouldn’t do any good. But he wanted her to know he was there for her.

He knew just how impactful a simple presence could be. Before he found the miraculous, he had no one to talk to or just sit with. Well, there was Chloe Bouregeois. They were very close as children, but they as close now that they were older. And the bodyguards and assistants assigned by his father were only there for their job. They left his presence as soon as they could.

Then there was his father. You would think he could talk to his father, but no. The man never had time for him. The only time they interacted was for work or when the man needed to release his anger on someone.

No. Before his miraculous, Adrien had no one. And look how well that turned out for him. 

He never wanted Ladybug to feel alone like he did. So, he sat there, waiting for her to either speak or get up and leave.

After some time, she broke the silence. “I don’t know what to do,” she confessed.

“Oh?”

She sighed. “There’s this boy….”

Chat Noir’s heart sank. He didn’t know why he let that bother him. A girl like her would have plenty of guys going after her. Guys far more worthy than he was of her affection. Still. It hurt to think about.

“Your boyfriend, I’m guessing?”

Ladybug burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach. When she finally stopped, she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

“Oh my goodness, Chat Noir. That is probably the best joke you have ever made.”

The blonde was both relieved and confused. “I take that as a no?”

“No. I couldn’t even imagine dating this guy. We live in two completely different worlds. And he boils my blood. No. I wouldn’t date him.”

She waited for him for respond, but he didn’t. He sat patiently waiting for her to continue. So she did.

“I try to avoid this guy cause, as I said, I don’t like him. He’s a jerk. He is selfish and arrogant and cocky. He gets into so many fights. He never does what he is supposed to, and he doesn’t even try in school. And I am now stuck in an assignment with him. I can’t get out of it. And I don’t know what to do about it.”

Chat Noir sighed. He couldn’t help but think of his own predicament with Marinette. Although, they weren’t talking about him. They were talking about Ladybug.

He thought of what advice he could possibly give her. From the sound of it, this guy sounded like a rebel. He sounded like him. Well, looks like he had first-hand experience on interacting with someone like that. How would he advise her to treat him? What would be the way that he would respond to best?

“Just be nice to him. Be yourself. Don’t fake it. He will be able to tell. If he acts like what you say, there is probably something going on behind the scenes causing him to react that way. He’s hurting or in trouble or was never taught how to interact with people in a good way. Your best bet is to just treat him like you would anybody else. When he sees you aren’t playing along with his act, he should back off some.”

Ladybug stared at him, taken aback by his unnaturally raw response. She seemed to think it over before nodding.

“Thanks, Chatton. I think I might try that.”

“Glad I could be of help, My Lady.”

Ladybug looked up at the moon. “It’s getting late. We should probably get home since it’s a school night.” She stood and reached for her yo-yo.

“Whatever you say.”

“Goodnight, Chat Noir,” she said, smiling at him with that sweet smile which melted his insides. And with that, she was gone.

“Goodnight, Ladybug,” he whispered after her.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Marinette. She is so bubbly and innocent until someone stands in the way of her goal. Then she turns into such a confident and independent character. I love it.

Adrien strode out the school doors and glanced around the exit. School had just let out, and he had arranged to meet Marinette here. Since he didn’t see her yet, he walked to the side of the staircase to wait.

He was not looking forward to this meeting. He knew she would keep trying to get him to work on the project. It wasn’t the work that bothered him. He always did the homework and assignments to the best of his abilities. He enjoyed the work. Enjoyed learning. He just didn’t turn in his best work to ensure his grades stayed low. He couldn’t exactly maintain his reputation if he was the model, straight-A student.

That’s what bothered him about this assignment. He knew how strongly the girl would want to attain the perfect grade, and she would do whatever it took to get it. When that happened, it would rub off in him. Suddenly, all the teachers would see he was capable of one A and would try to get him to make more. Goodbye years of going unnoticed by teachers.

Adrien couldn’t help thinking about Ladybug and how she was in a similar – and yet opposite – situation. If her confession to him showed him anything, though, it was that Marinette was probably as against their working together as he was.

“Hey.”

Adrien turned to see said girl standing behind him.

“You ready to go?” she inquired.

“Go where?” he asked annoyed. He was already done with this.

“To the park. We can’t exactly stay on the steps to the school the whole time. Besides, I think the air will do us good. It’ll help us think better.” Without waiting for a response, the girl started down the stairs.

“It’s not like there isn’t air inside,” Adrien mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

“I heard that,” Marinette cried from over her shoulder.

“I don’t care,” he cried back.

“Just come on already."

Marinette walked in her naturally quick gait through the Mars Field Park. In his typical, non-caring fashion, Adrien meandered behind. It wasn’t like he had anywhere better to be. In fact, Natalie had cleared his whole schedule for the rest of the day when she heard he was actually going out of his way to do a school assignment.

Once the raven-haired girl found a bench to her liking, she sat down. She started pulling her books out of her bag, already deep in thought. Adrien plopped himself down beside her.

“Sooo,” he said sarcastically. “You gonna tell me the whole schedule? Minute by minute? Maybe even tell me what to think? After all, it seems like we are doing this whole thing your way.”

Marinette took a deep breath trying to keep her cool. Knowing he was pushing her buttons gave Adrien some satisfaction. She looked up at him, a fiery passion seeping from every fiber in her being.

“Look. I know you are used to not caring what grades you get. But I do. I take this very seriously. And we are now linked in this. I am not going to pretend we are best friends and are both so happy to be working together. Clearly, we aren’t. But the sooner we start working together, the sooner we can get this done. And the sooner we get this done, the quicker we can move on with our lives. So.” She opened the giant history textbook in her lap. “Have you done the required reading yet, or do we need to go over that now?”

The pair worked for a few hours. Mainly Marinette. Adrien didn’t do much. He agreed on the person their project would be on – Thomas Edison. He also helped find a few online sources. That was about it.

Despite his lack of involvement, Marinette seemed satisfied by the outcome of their time together. After putting her last book away, she turned to the boy.

“You know, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“Oh, admit it,” she said, flashing the boy a genuine smirk. She playfully leaned in towards him. “You didn’t think it was that bad either. If you had, you would have put up much more of a fight.”

She was right of course. It hadn’t been completely terrible. He was so used to being forced into everything – verbally or physically – that her approach was strange to him. She would instruct him to do something once and then leave him be until he did it. No nagging. No staring over his shoulder. No smacking him around, telling him to hurry up. She just did her own thing until he was ready.

She acted with confidence, but she didn’t put herself above him. She was assertive, but not overly demanding. She was smart, but didn’t rub it in your face. The whole thing was so different from everyone in Adrien’s life. Granted, that was largely his fault. He pushed away most people, especially nice people. Those were the ones that would hurt the most when they abandoned you. It was better to not form attachments with them in the first place.

But she was so kind. So genuine. She didn’t try to be someone she wasn’t. She didn’t wear a façade. It almost made him want to take his off…. Almost.

He leaned back, arms folded and face turned away. “Whatever.”

“Whatever, back at you.” She paused before speaking again. “So, when can we do this again?”

Adrien shrugged. “I don’t know. My father and Natalie always have my schedule crazy full.” He turned to the girl, mocking sadness. “But I must work something out. It would be a pity if I couldn’t help anymore and you had to finish the whole thing on your own.”

Marinette patted him on the leg, sending him her own mocking facial expression. “Oh, it would be. Which is why it isn’t going to happen. I will find a way. No matter what it takes.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it. Couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my spare time than to study some inventor. Hooray.”

Standing up, the girl swung her bookbag over her shoulder. “I’ll let you know when I figure something out. In the meantime, see you round.” She walked off towards the park exit, leaving Adrien sitting on the bench by himself.

She had been right. He hadn’t had a bad time. That was why he did not look forward to their next meeting up. He didn’t want to get close to this girl. Their lives – their worlds – were too different. They could never mix. It would just lead to chaos.

Besides, he had grown comfortable with being uncomfortable. Lonely. Anxious. It was better that way. By staying away as much as possible, he would stay rooted in his way of life. His reputation and mindset wouldn’t waver. He wouldn’t get hurt, and if he did, no one would be close enough to see it.

He couldn’t wait for this to be over and everything to return to normal.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And first fight scene.... I tried. I hope you enjoy it, even if it might be cringy.

Adrien’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and tapped on the akuma alter. Live footage of the event filled his screen.

“Nadja Chamack here, live at the scene of Paris’s current attack. Our latest super villain emerged from the TV studio here behind me.”

In the background, screams could be heard from innocent bystanders. Suddenly, a young man dressed in typical akuma victim attire dropped beside the reporter, causing her to jump back. The man seemed to have some sort of laser gun covering his hand. His face was covered with some form of visor. He turned to the camera, addressing the viewers.

“My name is Illuminous. I have been putting spotlights on other people while being ignored and treated like nothing. This has gone on for too long. I will no longer be the one in the dark. You will be. And there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

He turned to Nadja and aimed his gun. She turned to run, but she was too late. He fired a bright white beam, which on impact surrounded the woman in a dark bubble.

He turned back to the camera. “Try and stop me, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I dare you.” Then he fired, and the screen went black.

Adrien clicked off his phone and rose from his seat. “Time to go, Plagg!”

“Ahh come on!” the kwami whined. “But I was just about to eat some delicious camembert.”

“No time for that, now. You can eat your cheese later.”

Adrien called the protesting kwami into his miraculous and headed towards the scene. Once he arrived, there were dark bubbles everywhere.

“Wow. This guy hasn’t wasted any time,” he said aloud.

“Apparently not.” Ladybug walked up to him.

Chat Noir turned to her with a smirk. “You know, My Lady….”

“Don’t even start,” she interrupted.

“… We should really be his light in this dark time,” he finished.

Ladybug smacked her forehead with her palm. “Are you done now?”

“Wait, wait. One more. He seems to have lost his senses. We must en-light-en him on the error of his ways.” Chat Noir chuckled at his own wit.

Ladybug glared at him, hand on her hip. “Can we be serious now?”

“Yup.”

“Good.” She turned to survey the scene. She tapped her chin a few times, formulation a plan in her mind.

That was another thing Chat Noir liked about Ladybug. She was always much better at strategizing. He just rushed head-first into the fight. That only worked about half the time. The other half, he ended up making the whole situation worse. Ladybug, on the other hand, would watch it from a distance until she knew what to do. 

Now that they had worked together for so long, they had learned to feed off each other. How to combine their strengths and instincts to defeat their opponents. They knew when to rush in and when to watch and learn.

“Okay,” Ladybug said. “I think I have a plan.”

“I knew you would. So, what are we doing?”

“Just followed by lead.” She swung towards Illuminous.

Chat Noir followed suit.

For the next ten minutes or so, the pair dodged the villain’s blasts. Gradually, they pushed the man towards a shaded, dark alley. Chat Noir wasn’t exactly sure why they were doing this, but he trusted Ladybug. She knew what she was doing. She was much smarter than him.

Illuminous glanced behind him. When he realized he was being pushed into the alley, he seemed to panic. He blasted more rapidly than ever, but his aim faltered. The two heroes easily dodged his fire and continued forcing him backwards.

Because of his cat vision, the lack of light didn’t affect Chat Noir at all. He saw Ladybug moving more cautiously than she had prior, impaired by the darkness but not all together compromised. 

Illuminous, on the other hand, looked around desperately. He couldn’t see a thing. He kept messing with his visor with his non-gunned hand. Apparently, the high-tech visor only worked with adequate light. Chat never would have thought of that. Great observation on Ladybug’s part.

The akuma victim fired at random, trying in a reckless attempt to do anything to save himself. Ladybug barely managed to dodge one of them.

“Chat Noir. Can you take him down for me? I can’t see him.”

“Anything for you, Bugaboo. Cataclysm!”

As his miraculous powered up, he rushed towards the man. He leaned away from one last blast before grabbing Illuminous’ arm. He used his cataclysm on the gun. In seconds, it was demolished, and Chat watched a black butterfly fly out of it, ascending out of the alley.

Chat knew Ladybug couldn’t see the akuma, so he called out to her. “It’s flying up. It should be in the light in a few seconds.”

Ladybug walked towards the lighted street, looking up at the sky. She pulled out her yo-yo. Once her gaze locked onto the butterfly, she swung it.

“Time to devilize!” The yo-yo captured the akuma, and Ladybug pulled it to her. She released the now white butterfly. “Bye bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” She threw her yo-yo in the air, and magic shot out of it, returning everything in Paris to normal.

Chat Noir walked over to her, smiling. He always loved watching her do that. He wished he could help her more. He couldn’t do much about the actual akumas. He wished he could take some of it off her plate though. He would have to settle for being her bodyguard.

The polka dotted superhero held out her fist, and he gave her a fist bump. “Pound it,” they said in unison.

Illuminous moaned as he rose from the ground. “What happened? Where am I?” he questioned.

Ladybug turned to her partner. “I can take care of this if you want. I know dealing with the people isn’t your favorite thing.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later, My Lady.” Chat turned to walk away.

“Oh!” Ladybug exclaimed, drawing his attention back to her. “By the way, thanks for that advice you gave me. Turns out, the assignment isn’t going to be as bad as I thought.”

The blonde grinned at her. “Glad to hear it.”

With that, he took off.


	7. Chapter Seven

Knock knock knock.

Natalie’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you almost ready, Adrien? The photographer is getting impatient. It should not take you this long to change.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, loudly enough to make sure it would carry. “I’ll be there in just a minute.”

“You better,” his father’s assistant replied. “Gabriel will not be pleased if the photographer charges extra for having to wait so long.”

Adrien walked over to the mirror and scanned himself. This photoshoot was for a commercial. To his dismay, the company was insistent that he wear shorts and a tank top. Normally, a model would be fine with that, but not Adrien.

He had scars. Lots of scars. And bruises. Between his father, fights at school, his time as Chat Noir, and… himself, countless blemishes littered his body. And no one could know about them.

Normally, he hid them with clothes and accessories, but he couldn’t do that with his assigned outfit. He couldn’t outright tell anybody why he didn’t want to reveal so much skin. His father would have a fit at the attention that brought. 

When he tried to ask if he could wear literally anything else, everyone kept telling him he looked fine. That he shouldn’t be embarrassed of anything. That he had a perfect physique. If only they knew the truth.

This dilemma is why Adrien was taking so long. Once he found out what he had to wear, he hid some prosthetics and makeup in his bag. After getting his hair styled and makeup applied, they sent him to the changing room. He quickly donned the despised clothes and dug out the supplies. He had spent the last fifteen minutes covering all his scars and bruises.

Knowing this was as good as it would get, Adrien left the changing room. Natalie, who had been standing outside the whole time, walked him to the photographer.

The man looked up as they approached. He gesticulated dramatically.

“It’s about time,” he cried. “An artist like myself should not be kept waiting.”

“Our apologies, sir,” Natalie replied in her calm manner. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.” She glared at Adrien as she spoke the last part.

Adrien looked at his feet. He just never seemed to be good enough. If he had gone out on time, they would have found something else to nitpick. Everyone was always mad at him for something. 

He thought that maybe if they backed off every once and a while, he would actually be able to do things. The stress of being watched continually messed with his head. He learned from a young age he was expected to be perfect. If he messed up on even the smallest thing, his father would punish him for it. He became paranoid of imperfection.

That’s another reason why he started rebelling. He thought if he showed the world that he wasn’t some perfect good boy everyone would back off. It hadn’t worked though. It just made people angrier with him since he was so far from the ideal robotic figure they desired him to be. At least he found it easier to handle if he could either lash out or become completely stoic after being criticized.

The photoshoot went horribly. No matter how hard he tried, the photographer was never pleased. Finally, the man threw his arms in the air, yelled at the boy to take a ten-minute break and search for his missing talent, and then stomped around the corner in exasperation.

Adrien sighed. He knew his father would hear about this. And he would be pissed. Adrien would definitely go to bed with a few more bruises than he woke up with.

He dug through his bag, searching for his phone. Once he found it, he turned it on, hoping to find something to entertain himself until the angry man returned.

To his surprise, he had received a text message. That was odd. Normally, the only people to text him were Natalie and his father. They would send him a schedule or give him instructions. But Natalie was across the room, and his father knew he was at a shoot.

He clicked on the notification to see who it was. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He began to read the message

Hey, Adrien. I know your schedule is busy, but it’s been a few days since we met up….

Of course. It was about the project. Why was he surprised? What else could she be talking to him about? He continued reading.

…I was going to talk in person, but I noticed you weren’t at school yet. I guess you had a shoot? Anyway, I will be spending my lunch break and study hall in the library. If you end up making it to school in time, feel free to come join me. I’ll have pastries.

Adrien’s stomach growled. He was never allowed to eat before a photoshoot. Something about bloating. All he knew was that he was starving, and this girl just offered him food. Not just any food. Pastries. He never got pastries at home. It didn’t fit in his father’s strict diet for him.

Adrien checked the time. If he could hurry up and end this shoot, he could easily make it.

Wait. Was he seriously thinking about meeting up with Marinette again? He had told himself he would fight that. He had already done the bare minimum. That sould be enough. He didn’t want to spend more time with the girl, possibly bonding with her….

But she had pastries. He could always just eat and leave before he had to do anything. Yeah. That’s what he would do. Just eat and leave. No working. No talking. No bonding. Just filling his stomach with delicious carbohydrates.

He sent a text back.

I should be able to get there. And you better have lots of those pastries left.

He added the last part to ensure he didn’t sound too friendly. He didn’t want her to think they would become texting buddies or anything. He just wanted to guarantee there would be enough food. That was the only reason he was going, after all.

In less than a minute, his phone buzzed with another text.

Great! And don’t worry. I will. See you soon then. 😊

Adrien put the phone back in his bag. He was confused. Why was she acting so nice? It wasn’t like he was nice to her. So what was she trying to get out of it? 

He realized she wasn’t acting for some grand scheme to trick him or get something she wanted. It probably wasn’t for personal benefit at all. It was just her being her natural self. How nice it must be to act without having to think on how every little think affects you.

There was loud clapping, and Adrien looked up to see who was making a racket. The photographer had returned and was calling everyone back together.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s get this nightmare over with, shall we? Now, I hope you miraculously found some talent, boy. I’m not sure I can deal with you for too much longer.”

Adrien huffed as he stood up. He didn’t know how much longer he could handle being there either.

In fact, the only thing that got him through it was the thought of those pastries awaiting him.


	8. Chapter Eight

Adrien pushed the library doors open.

It was strange being in that room. He had purposefully avoided it until now. Not that he had anything against books. In fact, he loved reading. For fun, that is. On his own, he could sit and absorb the words on those page for hours on end. The second someone forced him to read something, however, he would lose all focus and motivation.

He was sure he would love to comb through the books that lined these walls. All the knowledge he could gain. All the well-written classics he could lose himself to. But it wouldn’t make sense for someone who acted like school and learning meant nothing to him to sit around reading all the time. Therefore, he avoided the library.

Adrien walked through the room, searching for the girl with the pastries. Students watched him pass by, clearly wondering why he was there. Honestly, he still wondered it himself.

Soon enough, he saw the pigtailed girl leaning over a table and nibbling on a croissant. Her back was to him, so she was unaware he had arrived. He walked up to the table and plopped into an empty chair.

Marinette looked up and pulled earbuds out of her ears. “Hey. Glad you could make it,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Adrien replied sarcastically. “I only came because of the free food, you know.”

Marinette snorted. “Hey, I’ll take what I can get. If I can bribe you to come work with me for food, I will by all means do so.” She reached below her chair and pulled out a box. She slid it in his direction.

“Oh, I never agreed to work,” he said as he grabbed the container. “I just said I would come and meet you. That’s it.”

Adrien opened the box, and the smell of freshly baked bread flooded his nostrils. Without hesitation, he took a bite of a chocolate-covered croissant. It was the most amazing thing he had ever tasted. He lost himself in the sweetness. He was never allowed anything like this at home.

Marinette giggled. “You like it?” she asked.

“Are you kidding?” Adrien replied. “This is amazing. I could eat a whole building full of these things.”

The girl smiled at him. “I’m glad you enjoy my baking skills.”

“Hold up. You made this?”

Marinette nodded. “My dad owns a bakery. I help him out a lot. I’ve learned to make a lot on my own.”

Adrien finished the whole box of pastries. For the first time in ages, he was actually full. He was never full. He was never allowed to eat to his heart’s content. He reveled in the feeling.

Marinette continued working on whatever she was doing before he got there. Adrien was glad she hadn’t immediately tried to get him to do anything. He was sure it would happen though.

She set down her pencil and leaned back in her chair stretching. She turned to Adrien. Oh great. Here it came. She was going to try and get him to work on the project with her.

“So, how did your photoshoot go?”

Okay, that wasn’t what he was expecting. Was she really trying to make conversation with him? For a split second, he thought how nice it would be to tell someone how hard the photographer was on him, how much he hated being yelled at, and how he didn’t even like modeling. 

He quickly brushed it aside though. She didn’t actually care. And he could never open himself up like that. There was no way that would end well.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” he replied.

Marinette raised her hands in defense. “Just asking. Trying to make conversation.”

Adrien looked at her, trying to figure out what she was trying to accomplish. Surely, it couldn’t just be her being nice. Adrien had meet enough ‘nice, good’ girls. They came with their fathers to his father’s business parties. They acted all nice at first. All innocent. But they would turn on you in a heartbeat, ripping you to shreds. No. ‘Nice’ girls couldn’t be trusted.

So, what was Marinette trying to do?

“Well, don’t. I’m not going to be some buddy of yours.”

Marinette sighed. She looked at him with a furrowed brow and puckered lips. Leaning forward, she said, “Not everyone is out to attack you, you know. Some people are just friendly. You should really learn to accept kindness. It would be good for you. Being negative all the time is bad for your mental state.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. Had she just read his mind? How did she know he was analyzing her actions? And she must be lying to her. He was doing just fine shutting people out…. Well, not really. But it was better that way. Right?

The bell rang, signaling they needed to get to their classes.

Marinette gathered her belongings and swept them into her bookbag. Pushing the chair back, she rose and swung the bag over her shoulder.

“We didn’t really get much done, did we?” she stated more than asked. “I’m going to busy over the weekend, but how about we do it again? Maybe Tuesday?”

Adrien was about to decline when she added, “I’ll bring another box of pastries.”

Adrien rested his hand on his stomach. He felt that wonderous feeling inside, recalling the sensation of the warm food going down his gullet.

“Okay. Maybe one more time.”


	9. Chapter Nine

Adrien was stopped on his way out of the library.

“Hey, Agreste! Hold up a second.”

Adrien turned to see Kim le Chien strutting towards him. Kim was known for his brash behavior and cockiness. He was often viewed similarly to Adrien, more attitude and body than brain. Everyone thought they should be friends, but Adrien couldn’t stand the guy. All they did was butt heads.

Preparing himself for the interaction he was sure would end badly, Adrien took a deep breath,

“Can I help you?” he forced with a blatantly fake kindness.

“Yeah, actually, you can.” Kim’s arms were crossed, chest puffed out, head held high. He was on offense. Yup. There was no way this would end well.

“So, are you gonna tell me what you want, or are you gonna make me stand here all day? I mean class is starting and all….”

“Don’t play dumb with me,”

“You’re right. You have enough of it naturally to cover both of us.”

Kim slammed him into the wall and pinned him there, applying pressure to Adrien’s collarbones. Glaring fiercely, he leaned in until their faces nearly touched.

“Listen here,” Kim hissed. “I know you are working with Marinette on that project.”

“Oh, yes. Because I am so thrilled over the whole thing,” Adrien replied flatly, completely unfazed by being pinned like this.

“I might not exactly be close to Mari, but I like her. Most of the school likes her. I’ll have you know, if you hurt that girl or corrupt her in any way, I and this entire school – in fact, all of Paris – will make your life a living hell.”

“What do you call my life now then,” Adrien mumbled.

“Don’t get snappy with me. I’m on the same level as you here. You can’t shove me around as you do everyone else.”

“Oh yeah?”

Adrien shoved the boy in the shoulders, forcing him off balance. He pointed his finger in the jock’s face.

“Your threats don’t scare me. And for the record, I could care less about Marinette. The second all this is over, I will have nothing to do with her anymore.”

Apparently, this was a bad thing to say. The next thing Adrien knew, a fist was colliding with his cheek. On instinct, he cupped the impact point with his hand. Then, he stepped towards his opponent, landing a punch of his own.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The chant rang through the building. Students had gathered around to watch the brawl unfold. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Especially with these two in the middle of it.

Kim rammed into Adrien’s gut with his shoulder, attempting to throw him backwards. However, Adrien had planted his feet, so this failed. Adrien grabbed the back of the boy’s head with one hand and landed a solid punch to his face with the other. Letting go, he stepped back and moved into a defense position.

Kim reached up to his face and wiped under his nose. As he did so, a small trail of blood came off on his fingers. Seeing this, Kim glared at Adrien with pure rage. He was about to charge at the blonde once more when Principal Damocles intervened.

The man stepped between the two teenagers, his arms extended to block them. “Come on now, boys. This is completely unnecessary and quite inappropriate.”

“He started it!” Kim shouted, pointing at the blonde.

Adrien simply glared at him. He was used to taking the blame. He was fine with that. It just meant more people would think twice before interacting with him or getting in his way.

“I don’t care who started it,” the principal continued authoritatively. “I want both of you in my office. Now.” He headed up the stairs without waiting for the two boys to follow.

Adrien held his head high. He stepped forward, putting his back to Kim. He wanted to show his opponent in every way possible that he wasn’t even a formidable threat. He wasn’t worth his time.

As the boys walked, all the students parted for them to pass. They all enjoyed observing the unfolding conflict, but none of them wanted to risk being involved themselves. Wouldn’t want to get in trouble, after all.

Once they were inside Damocles’s office, the man gestured for both of them to take a seat. The principal leaned back in his chair, tapping his index fingers together.

“Now,” he said. “I don’t care who started what or what it was over. This behavior is unacceptable. Both of your parents will be notified.”

Oh great. Another thing for his father to get mad at him over. The thought of returning to the Agreste residence and facing the fashion designer was becoming more and more daunting as the day progressed.

“Both of you have displayed poor conduct on multiple occasions,” the principal continued. “If something does not change, there will be more serious repercussions. Have I made myself clear?”

Both boys nodded in response. Not that either of them would listen. They both knew they would fight in the future, but admitting that would get them nowhere. They just wanted to get out of this room as swiftly as they could manage.

“Alight. You’re dismissed. Go to class.”

They stood and exited the room, going their separate ways. Adrien walked into his mathematics class. Everyone turned to him as he entered, but he ignored them. He sauntered to his seat and collapsed into it carelessly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien could have sworn he saw Marinette shaking her head, looking pitifully in his direction.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where Adrien's mental health goes more downhill. It'll be explained a little more why in the next chapter. I am basing this from my own experiences with mental health problems. I would slip into really depressive episodes similar to this and be fairly normal at other times. Just thought I should clarify that.

Chat Noir ran across the Parisian rooftops. The crispy night air and cool breeze refreshed him. He felt alive. It almost made him forget how sore and exhausted his entire body was.

It was nights like this when he was glad his suit was all black and covered his entire body. If it didn’t, his black and blue skin would be revealed. His father had had a fun time making his body colorful due to his numerous failures on Friday.

He was used to covering up his body as Adrien, but it was for a different reason. It was a defense. If he showed that his body wasn’t perfect, his father would have a field day. To prevent that, he covered up

As Chat Noir, he didn’t hide his injuries for himself. It would actually make sense that he obtained them due to all the villains he fought. But he didn’t want to show them because Ladybug would notice.

She always pointed them out, seeming worried for him. She would look at him with a grieved expression that almost convinced him she cared. Almost. He knew she really didn’t. She just felt guilty, thinking they were from their akuma fights since he always took the blows for her. Better him than her. He was used to taking a beating. Ladybug was too good to be hurt.

That was why he didn’t want to show when he was hurt. He didn’t want her meaningless pity. It was pointless and only made him feel worse about himself for making such a sweet girl feel guilty over something that wasn’t even her fault.

He often wondered why she acted so kind to him. He remembered that time so long ago when she said she wanted to show him he was better than he thought. But that was so long ago. They had barely known each other then. Surely, she had seen reason by now, right? So why did she pretend she hadn’t?

No matter the reason, Chat Noir was secretly glad she did. It was always nice to know there was one person who would treat him like that. He knew it was stupid to like it. It wouldn’t last forever. But he might as well pretend along with her that everything was okay. Sometimes, the act was so real he would temporarily forget it was an act.

Chat Noir came to a halt on the Eiffel Tower. This time, it was he who must wait on Ladybug to arrive. He didn’t mind. She was probably doing something super important. Much more important than patrolling with him on this quiet night.

He heard a faint sound behind him as two feet hit the metal beams.

“Hello, Chatton. Sorry I’m late. I got distracted working on a design and…. You know what. It doesn’t matter. I’m here now. You ready to go?”

Chat Noir nodded in response. Like he thought. She was busy.

The blonde pulled out his staff and set out on patrol, Ladybug following close behind.

He was glad she seemed to be feeling better than on their last patrol. Tonight was one of her more talkative nights. She rambled on about school, what she had done over the weekend, things she was looking forward to.

Chat loved to listen to her talk. It was so natural. So relaxed. It just felt comforting, even when he didn’t respond. It was the closest thing he had to a normal friend. Not that he was normal. Nor needed a friend. He was fine on his own. He had to be.

Absentmindedly, Ladybug had once mentioned that people would tell her she was too talkative and animated when she was younger. Chat wished he could find whoever told her that and gift them with a solid punch to the face. How dare they try to make her change. She was just too good for them.

Chat had also found it annoying at first, but that was just because he didn’t want to deal with the girl in general. It had nothing to do with her being her. Now, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“So, what did you do today, Chat?”

When the two had first started working together, he hadn’t responded to her except for witty banter. That was his way to reply without actually giving away what he felt. It was Chat Noir’s coping mechanism, similar to how Adrien used sarcasm and eye rolls.

Tonight, he didn’t have the energy for witty banter. He felt more down and lonely than usual. He just wanted someone to talk to. Even if he couldn’t really tell her anything that was going on in his life – she wouldn’t want to hear it anyway – he could at least make small talk. That couldn’t hurt, right?

“Not much. I read some….”

“What did you read?”

“The Great Gatsby.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! I’m reading that too. For my literature class.”

Chat hummed in response. That was why he was reading it too. That really was a coincidence.

“I think it’s super sad, you know,” the girl said. “The way they all long for things they can’t have.”

“I suppose.”

The two heroes landed back at the tower. Chat had stayed in front of Ladybug the entire patrol. He wanted to just get back home and sleep. Since his back was to her the whole way time, this was the first opportunity for them to face each other. 

There were many times he would go the entire round without facing her. When he was in his darker mental states, he didn’t want to look at people. Maybe it was because he thought he could hide it if no one could see his face. If he didn’t see them, they didn’t see him kind of thing. No matter. Ladybug seemed to be able to pick up on this. She was so much more observant than most. Most people didn’t take the time to determine his moods. When he was like this, the female hero would act the same as usual apart from giving him a little extra space.

Ladybug smiled at him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you…. Oh my gosh! What happened to your face?”

What was she talking about?... The bruise. From where Kim hit him. Shoot. He forgot that wouldn’t be covered by the mask. Play it cool. Maybe she’ll let it slide if he brushes it off with humor.

“Oh, glad to see you’ve finally come to your senses and seen how fabulous I am,” he said, flipping his hair dramatically.

Ladybug crossed her arms and glowered at him. “You know full well what I’m talking about Chat Noir. What gave you that bruise?”

He turned away from her. “It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chat snapped. “Just leave it alone.” 

Why was she pretending to care? Couldn’t they just keep pretending everything was fine like they had been. He had to deal with those problems enough as Adrien. He wanted to forget about it as Chat Noir.

Ladybug put her hands up. “I’m sorry.” Lowering her hands, her face softened into a sad expression. “I just don’t like the thought of you getting hurt.”

There she went again. Pretending to care just because she felt bad about dragging him into dangerous situations.

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t do anything about it. Besides, I can handle myself just fine.”

“I know you can. But that doesn’t mean you should have to.” She walked up to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “I know you don’t talk a lot. From what I’ve seen, you struggle with hiding yourself from people. But just know, you don’t have to hide from me. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll be there in an instant.”

Chat stared at her wide-eyed, thrown off by her comment. He didn’t have time to fully process it and think of a response before she pulled back and readied her yo-yo.

“See you round.” She left, leaving Chat on his own, deep in his thoughts.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the darkest chapter in the story.  
> Warning ---- There are some pretty heavy references to self-harm in this. I never actually describe him doing the action, but you can tell what's happening.  
> If you may be triggered to harm yourself after reading this, please do not do so. Wait for/skip to the next chapter. All you have to know is it is the anniversary of his mother's death.  
> If you are self-harming, I implore you to seek help. Trust me, it's not worth suffering in silence. You are loved.

Groaning, Adrien rolled over and shut off his alarm. He laid there for a while, dreading the day to come.

He hated today. He wanted to stay curled under the covers all day and scream. He didn’t want to deal with people. He didn’t want to go to school. Most of all, he didn’t want to see his father. This would be the worst day out of the year.

This was the anniversary of his mother’s death. She had a large saccular cerebral aneurism. It was right at the basilar artery at the base of the brain. She died from internal bleeding before anything could be done.

Adrien’s father blamed him for her death. Adrien knew that was foolish. There was no way he could have caused the rupture in her brain. He still felt as if he should have been able to do something about it though. 

That’s why he wanted to be a surgeon. One day, he would help prevent other families from being in the same situation. He never told people that though. In order to go into the medical field, one had to be smart, have good grades, be motivated, hardworking, and want to help people. All of these things, he was known for being the opposite of. He didn’t care though. Once he could leave this city and his father behind, he would start a new life with a new reputation. He would find a way to make his dream career a reality.

Besides, he already had practice. He’d stitched himself up enough times to know quite a bit about anatomy and how to apply it on a living body.

Adrien rolled out of bed to get ready. He wanted to mope around in privacy, but he supposed it would have to do to mope in public. Not that that was out of the ordinary.

It took everything in him to make it to the mirror. He looked pitiful. All the dark bruising was still there, but it seemed to be turning a faint greenish tint. That was always good. Meant it was healing.

He poked at the dark splotches. It hurt to touch. He pushed on it harder. 

Adrien enjoyed the pain. Well, not really. He didn’t like pain. No one really does. It just made things easier. If he was focusing on the physical, the mental and emotional seemed easier to control. That’s why he started getting into fights. The adrenaline rush and the soreness that followed temporarily made him forget about everything else. It’s also why he had no problems running headfirst into dangerous scenarios as Chat Noir.

Adrien’s eyes darted over to the decorative knife Chloe had gotten him as a gift a few years back. It wasn’t supposed to be sharp. It was never supposed to be used at all, but Adrien used it anyway.

He first used it when he was fourteen. It was right before his father started beating him more frequently.

He had had a horrible day. Everything had seemed to go wrong. At lunch, he had accidentally cut his finger while eating. The injury itself wasn’t bad, but it was the mental response that Adrien remembered. When the body gets cut, the brain releases dopamine to ease the pain. That’s what science says anyway. All that mattered to Adrien was the fact that for a split moment, he felt better.

At the end of that day, he was feeling worse than normal. Seeing the knife, he recalled how that accident made him feel better.

Although his brain screamed at him to stop, his body acted on autopilot. He felt as if he wasn’t even in his body – a witness to his actions rather than a participant. He walked over to the knife and unsheathed it.

He would never be the same.

He was ashamed that he had done it. He was more ashamed that he had done it more than once. But it somehow helped. Just for a second, he could take away the façade and let everything just slip away. Nothing else mattered but the dopamine rush followed by a complete numbness to the world.

That’s why he found himself looking at the knife once more. Today, more than any other day of the year, he wanted to be numb. He knew he would need to be numb to make it to tomorrow.

He walked over and reached for it. His hand hovered over it when something stopped him.

‘Don’t hurt yourself. Be careful, son.’

The memory of his mother’s voice brought tears to his eyes. Those words had been spoken for a very different circumstance. He had been running through the garden recklessly. He remembered he had scraped his knee that day despite his mother’s warning. But she put a band aid on it followed by a tender kiss, and in his young mind that made everything better.

‘I love you, Adrien,’ her voice continued. ‘I hope you always remember that, no matter what anyone else says.’

Tears steadily streaked down his face now. His outstretched hand fell to his side. There was no way he could go through with the action now.

‘Never let this world bring you down, love. You will do great things. You will always be my little hero.’

Adrien slid to the ground and curled in upon himself. He didn’t know how long he sat there sobbing, but he knew it was quite a while.

Eventually he managed to pull himself together. As he did so, he once again donned his stoic façade. If he couldn’t make himself numb through the physical, maybe he could do it mentally. He could pretend to be numb and trick his brain into being so.

He wandered down to the dining hall. It was empty, thank goodness. He wasn’t sure he could have handled seeing his father just yet.

Natalie brought him his breakfast, and he ate in silence. As usual. He got bored and pulled out his phone. Seeing he received a text message, he opened it.

Hey. You still on for meeting at the library? I can bring macaroons.

Oh. That’s right. He was supposed to do that today. 

He left the girl on read. He wasn’t sure he could handle that today.

Finishing his meal, he rose from the table and gathered his school supplies. Once he was done, he exited the mansion and stepped into the limo waiting for him outside.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless." ~ Mother Theresa  
> Never forget it how important it is to pay attention to people and speak in a way that uplifts them. I have seen from both the giving and receiving end just how life-altering a few words or even just physical presence can be when someone is lonely and depressed.  
> Okay. Life lesson over, lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Adrien didn’t want to be here. Not that he ever did. This was his way out of the house, so there was that at least. The way to temporarily escape his father. But today, everyone just got on his nerves. They weren’t acting differently than normal. He just felt even less hospitable.

When lunch time came, he didn’t leave his classroom. He couldn’t stand the thought of being in the chaotic cafeteria. He wanted to sit. Alone. Unbothered. In silence.

This didn’t last nearly as long as he hoped. He heard the door creak open and turned to see Nino walking in.

“Hey. I thought you might still be here. Never saw you get up,” the boy said.

Adrien glared at him. Why was this guy talking to him? They had never talked before. Yeah, they sat beside each other in a few classes, but that didn’t mean they were friends or anything. In fact, Adrien barely knew anything about the guy.

“What do you want?” he questioned, perturbed by the interruption to his wallowing.

“Look, bro,” Nino said, taking a few steps closer. “I don’t know what your deal is. But my girl, Alya, is best friends with Marinette. And apparently, Mari is waiting for you. Now, I know you don’t care a lot about grades and stuff, but Mari does. So you should put whatever problems you have aside for a while and go help her out. She has enough on her plate.”

What about what he wanted? Or what was on his plate? That didn’t seem to matter. Nobody cared. It was all about everyone else. He was nothing more than a means for others to obtain their desires.

Adrien was astounded by everyone’s obsession over protecting Marinette. They acted like she would crumble to pieces if he got near to her. Now, he knew he wasn’t a good influence, and he messed everything up. He knew that. But Marinette seemed pretty strong and independent. He didn’t get why everyone was standing up for her like she was weak and incapable.

Adrien didn’t think Nino was the type to start a fight over this like Kim, but he didn’t want to take the chance. He was too drained to fare well in a fight.

He stood and walked towards the door. Nino seemed shocked at the ease of convincing the other teen, but he didn’t say any more. He just let Adrien leave.

Adrien found Marinette at the same table as last time. He plopped down in the chair, startling her.

“Oh!” she said. “You’re here! I thought you wouldn’t come. After not texting me this morning and it being so long. You know what, never mind. You’re here now. That’s what counts, right?”

She turned her notebook so both of them could read from it and started talking about her research. After some time and a good amount of progress, Marinette flipped the book shut.

“That’s about as much of this as my mind can take. I need a break,” she said.

Adrien checked the time on his phone. There was still time for him to go hide somewhere alone until the next class started. Thank you study hall.

He was about to leave when he felt a hand rest lightly on his own. For a split second of complete delusion, he thought it was his mother’s. The hand was so soft and gentle like hers. No one else ever touched him gently.

Looking up, however, he saw the worried face of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

“Are you okay? You seem a little off. I mean, you aren’t exactly easy to read through all the sass and lashing out, but you still seem off.”

Adrien was so taken aback by the inquiry that he just sat gaping at the girl. He searched her face for some kind of mockery. That had to be it. She was making fun of him for being sad. 

But no. As he looked, all he could see was genuine concern. Why on earth was she giving him that? No one cared that much. His mother was the only one who ever cared how he felt or what he wanted.

Marinette pulled her hand away, and he immediately missed the physical contact. It had been so long since he was graced something like that. He longed for it. He hadn’t realized just how much until this moment, but he truly longed for caring, non-violent touches.

She spoke again. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I know we aren’t close or anything. Sometimes, it can be nice though. To talk to someone who doesn’t know you as well. Makes you feel less judged. At least in my experience.”

She waited for him to respond, but he didn’t know how.

Marinette seemed to take this as a sign Adrien wanted to be alone. She prepared to leave him to his thoughts.

As she went to stand, something inside Adrien clicked. He didn’t know why, but he became overwhelmed at the thought of being alone. He was lonely too much. He was used to it. It wasn’t that he wanted to be. He just didn’t have any other option. Unless he was Chat Noir.

He wasn’t Chat Noir at the moment, but for the first time in ages, he had another option. This girl who he had been so against spending time with, who he had not been even slightly nice to, who he kept trying to shun from his life, was now offering to give him the one thing he craved.

A companion.

He reached out and grasped her wrist, halting her departure. He hid his face, embarrassed by the action. He felt like a foolish child. But part of him didn’t care. He was tired. And lonely. And he didn’t want her to go.

“Why don’t you talk for me?” he suggested, barely above a whisper.

She gave him a sweet smile as she sat down. “Okay,” she said quietly. “I think I can do that.”

She talked on and on about her family’s bakery, her sketches, her latest art project. Adrien lost himself in it. Her voice was like music to his ears. It wasn’t yelling at him or scolding him or belittling him. It was a sweet reminder that not everyone was pure evil.

It was also very familiar. Which was strange. But he didn’t ponder on that.

Eventually, she stopped talking about herself and asked him a question.

“Do you like music? Or singing?”

Adrien loved music. It was the one way he could express himself fully. He would sing or play music, unleashing his feelings into the melody unfolding in notes and lyrics. He didn’t let anyone hear it except when he was forced to. He was sure he wasn’t that good. Not that he cared. He enjoyed it.

His mother had too. And her opinion mattered. Not just because she was his mother, but because she knew a lot about music.

In fact, she had been an opera singer. She had taught Adrien to sing at a very young age. People had said he inherited her voice. He cherished the memories of helping his mother practice for her roles.

He answered Marinette’s question. “It’s alright.” 

“You should come to the school play auditions after school,” Marinette suggested. “You don’t have to audition or anything. I probably won’t. I just want to do costumes.”

He had to admit, the thought did sound appealing. Listening to the music might make him feel better. At the very least, he could get a kick out of all the people who auditioned, thinking they could get the lead when they had the vocal talent of an elephant giving birth.

“Do you know what the play will be?” he questioned.

“It’s Phantom of the Opera. I think they said it would be genderbent though.”

Phantom of the Opera. That was his mother’s favorite. She would sing it all the time. That’s how she met his father. She sang Christine’s role, and his father was in the audience. Adrien could remember sitting and watching it with her on numerous occasions. He would still listen to the recording of her performance most nights, falling asleep to his mother’s wonderful soprano voice.

Listening to people singing his mother’s songs sounded perfect today.

“Where will it be?”


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you cannot tell by this and future chapters, I love music. It is a huge part of my life. I've preformed a lot, and the technique Adrien uses to get in the zone is what I do personally. I have no idea if this is normal or if it's super weird. I just know it helps for me. Hope it makes sense.  
> And a side note, if words are written like verses of a poem, that means it is lyrics to the actual opera they are singing for the performance.

Adrien crept into the back of the auditorium. He evaded most people’s the eyes. Not Marinette’s, though. The girl almost instantly noticed him and waved.

Adrien took a seat near the back of the room where he was still somewhat in the dark. That way he could still hear everything, but he was far enough back to not be bothered.

After a few minutes, the auditions commenced. All nineth through twelfth graders interested had gathered by the stage. They were divided by the role they hoped to play. The lesser roles would start first, and the main characters auditions would conclude.

Adrien listened as they went through the list. He didn’t recognize most of the students auditioning. He was sure he had seen them around the school. He just didn’t pay attention.

From the beginning, it was abundantly clear who had musical training and who did not – the latter category comprising the majority. There were numerous students whose voices made him want to claw his ears off. He honestly respected some of their confidence for even trying due to how horrible they sounded. Could they really not hear how tone deaf they were?

He paid more attention once it got to the major characters. A girl named Lila seemed a promising candidate for the role of Rachel – Raoul’s gender swapped version. Adrien recognized her. He didn’t like her very much, but he did enjoy her voice.

For the role of Christine – or now Christopher – no one seemed to fit the part. One senior named Luka auditioned, and his voice was better than most. Adrien didn’t think he felt right for the role though. He didn’t seem to know how to act enough for such a part. But it was a school play. What should he expect?

The Phantom’s role intrigued him the most. He always felt for the character. All the Phantom wanted was someone to love him, and he tried to get it by lashing out and forcing himself on people. Adrien could understand that.

Very few people auditioned for the role. That was concerning, especially since it was so vital to get the right person for the literal namesake of the opera.

Adrien was about to leave when he heard a commotion.

“Come on, Marinette. I’ve heard you sing. You could ace this part.”

Marinette kept trying to say she didn’t want to try, but everyone kept pressuring her into it. She eventually walked onto the stage and started singing.

Her voice was phenomenal. Adrien was blown away by it. It was very distinct. It could sound like honey one moment and a fire the next. He absorbed every note of it, trying to commit it to memory.

When she finished, the cheering was tremendous. There was no doubt she got the part.

To Adrien’s horror, she turned in his direction and waved him towards the stage. “Come on,” she shouted. “If I had to do it, so do you.”

“Ugh, what is he even doing here?” Alex Kubdel said in disgust. 

Adrien didn’t like her either. Her father was rich and attended plenty of his father’s fancy parties. She would attend and act all nice and sophisticated, but the second she wasn’t with her father, she would snap at you ferociously. The combination of her stature and personality reminded Adrien of a chihuahua.

“Alex. Be nice,” Miss Bustier said. She had been watching the auditions. She must be one of the teachers leading it.

She turned to him and smiled with that beautiful, warm smile. “I agree with Marinette. Everyone should give it a shot. Come on up. Pick any song and role you want.” She beckoned him towards the stage with her arm.

Without any conscious decision, Adrien found his feet moving towards her. What had gotten into him today? Why was he being so weak? He couldn’t say no to anybody.

Reaching the stage, he realized just how much of a mistake he had made walking up there. Everyone was glaring at him, clearly thinking he didn’t belong. He didn’t blame them. He wouldn’t want him there either.

He had to think of a way out. He turned to Miss Bustier. “I don’t really know how to act while I sing.” That was a lie. His mother had taught him well.

“That’s okay,” she said encouragingly. “Don’t think of it as acting. Try to imagine yourself as the character. We can work on acting later. For now, just pick the song you most relate to and sing it as yourself.”

Adrien knew what song he most related to immediately. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The entire song revolves around the protagonist mourning a lost parent and crying out for hope and strength to go on in life and do what needs to be done. How fitting for him. Especially today.

Adrien sighed. He turned to his teacher. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Well, I cannot force you to do anything, but I would be very disappointed if you didn’t try.”

For some reason, the thought of disappointing his favorite teacher sounded worse than being outright punished. He got into position and inhaled deeply. Closing his eyes, he softly began the song.

You were once my one companion,  
You were all that mattered.  
You were once a friend and father,  
Then my world was shattered.

Slowly, he began to lose himself in the words. In the melody. In the memories that crashed upon him as he heard his mother’s voice singing with him in his mind.

As passion swelled within him, he grew louder. More powerful. He no longer paid attention to where he was or who was listening. The rest of the world faded away. He was not acting. He was crying out in grief to his mother, begging her to help him through the pain he was feeling. 

By the end of the song, he was belting it with all the force and emotion he had hidden for years. That he could only release through music.

Wishing you were somehow here again,  
Knowing we must say goodbye,  
Try to forgive, teach me to live,  
Give me the strength to try.  
No more memories, no more silent tears,  
No more gazing across the wasted years.  
Help me say goodbye.

The entire room had fallen completely silent. Adrien panicked. Had he really been that bad?

He opened his eyes and saw the wide smiles on Miss Bustier and Marinette. No matter what anybody else thought, in his mind – for once – he thought he did a good job.

Because they were the only ones he allowed himself to care about.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of my favorite chapters in the story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chat Noir raced towards the screaming.

Another akumatized victim roamed the streets of Paris. From the glimpses Chat caught of it, it appeared to be a giant, flying Feilong dragon. Its red scales seemed to be made of flames. Fire shot forth from its mouth, sending people running for their lives.

Chat spotted Ladybug crouched at the top of a nearby building. He landed beside her.

“What are we dealing with?” he questioned, watching the dragon fly around.

“From what I’ve gathered, it’s a Chinese restaurant owner.” She pointed to a little building with the entire front wall blown off. “From the broken statue on the ground, it looks like someone broke it. Must have been very special to him. Probably wants revenge for its destruction.”

“Could have just asked for some super glue,” Chat Noir said flatly.

“I think the dragon is some kind of costume. We need to destroy in to get the akuma and free the man inside,” Ladybug stated.

“Sounds like a plan,” Chat replied. He stood up and leapt towards the dragon.

“Wait, Chat, we haven’t thought this through!”

Too late. He was already charging at it, staff at the ready.

He pulled his staff back, preparing to swing it at the dragon like a giant piñata. He felt the heat from the fire intensify the nearer her got. When he was in range, he swung. The pole collided with the scales. It didn’t even make a dint. It dither staff heated due to the flames, and Chat had to drop it to keep from scalding his hands.

“Well that didn’t work,” he said to himself.

The dragon spun around and charged at him. Chat’s eyes widened as the large mouth opened, revealing a shot of fire building up in its throat. The boy sprinted behind a stand to dodge the blast. The stand was blown to smithereens, covering him in soot and debris.

“Okay. That’s it,” he said, spinning around and pointing an accusatory finger at the dragon. “So rude. You know what? Dishonor!” He started gesticulation wildly. “Dishonor on your whole family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!”

Ladybug whizzed past him, ignoring his humorous quote.

“Oh, come on,” he called after her. “You have to admit that one was funny. Who doesn’t love Mushu?”

Ladybug swung her yo-yo, making a line between two lamp posts. The dragon was rushing straight towards it. It looked like she was hoping to split it in half. Genius.

At the last second, it seemed to realize her intentions and rose above the line. Chat watched as it prepared to shoot the girl. There was nothing close by for her to hide behind. This was bad.

“Watch out!” Chat cried. He ran towards her and shoved her underneath him.

Pain emanated through his back at the impact. He could feel his skin burning. He didn’t doubt his suit helped him some, but he was sure there were still second if not third-degree burns. Thank goodness it would be fixed when Ladybug reset everything.

“Are you okay?” said hero asked from under him.

He didn’t want her to know just how bad it was. He knew she would worry, and that would distract her. She didn’t need that. She needed to focus on herself and the akuma.

“I’m okay,” he forced through gritted teeth. He rolled off of her, barely holding in a cry of pain as his back was moved. “What do we need to do now?

“I don’t know,” Ladybug said shaking her head. “Looks like it’s time for some help.” She stood up and threw her yo-yo into the air. “Lucky Charm!” she cried.

A staff similar to his own landed in her hands.

“Well, that won’t do much good,” he said. “I already tried that. It heated up to quickly.”

“It must be made of something more heat resistant than yours,” Ladybug said. 

Chat reached for the staff. It made sense that he would be the one to use such a device. He was more used to it than Ladybug.

Ladybug held out her hand and stopped him. She surveyed the scene, analyzing every bit of the larger picture. Her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. “Water.” 

She turned to Chat Noir to explain. “If we can get it into the Seine, the flames will be extinguished. That should destroy it and set the akuma free. If you can get it over the river, I can use this to shove it in.”

Chat walked into the middle of the street, ignoring every fiber of his body screaming at him to stop. He had to do this. To stop it. Besides, he would rather it chase him than Ladybug.

“Hey! Come get me, you puny lizard!” he screamed tauntingly.

Without waiting to see if he was followed, he darted towards the river. He would need all the head start he could get. He could barely run. The pain in his back made him want to curl over. But he couldn’t. He had to keep going. He mentally screamed at himself to keep going.

The Seine came into view. He didn’t think he had ever been so happy to see that stupid river. He heard the dragon drawing nearer, so he sprinted the last stretch with every bit of energy he had left. Reaching the edge, he jumped onto a boat, then another, then another before finally reaching the other side.

He collapsed from exhaustion and shock. His world was spinning, his vision going dark. He wanted to help Ladybug. He wanted to make sure her plan worked. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t force himself to move anymore. So, he just laid there and waited.

Suddenly, energy flooded through him, and the pain disappeared within second. Ladybug must have won and returned everything to normal.

He pushed himself up and saw Ladybug helping an old man to his feet. She was talking to him, but Chat couldn’t make out what they were saying. He figured she was telling the man what had happened.

He crossed the river once more. It was much easier this time. He ambled over to the pair.

“Thank you, so much,” the man said, looking between the two heroes. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Just doing or duty,” Chat replied.

“Please, let me give you something in return. It’s the least I could do.”

“Oh, we couldn’t accept that,” Ladybug said politely.

The restaurant owner wouldn’t hear it. “I insist. You two do so much for everyone. You should get something in return. Besides, I made you run around quite a bit. Let me give you some food to refuel.”

Ladybug and Chat ended up sitting on the Eiffel Tower, eating Chinese food out of takeout boxes. It tasted amazing. Chat wished he could eat this every day.

Ladybug must have enjoyed it as well as she started doing a happy dance as she ate. It was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. It was such an innocent action. He had no idea how this girl could retain such an innocent and light-hearted attitude after all they dealt with in their job, but he was glad she did.

Ladybug caught Chat watching her. “Hey. Don’t judge my happy dance. I like my food, okay?”

They sat there after they finished, enjoying their full bellies. Soon, Ladybug began to sing to herself.

Chat stared at her. He knew that voice. Where had he heard that voice before? He knew it hadn’t been as Chat Noir. It had been in civilian form. That’s odd. But where would he have heard it….

He nearly fell off the tower when he realized whose voice it sounded like that.

Chat stood up rapidly. “I have to go.”

He heard Ladybug start to say something, but he didn’t wait to listen. He had to get out of there. He had to confirm his suspicion.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Plagg. He's my favorite. We would be friends. Eat lots of cheese together. It would be good times. Lol.

He landed in his room, closing the window behind him.

“Plagg, claws in.”

His suit dematerialized and he stood once more in his normal attire. He walked over to his computer and turned it on. Waiting for it to load, he tapped his foot impatiently. Why was it taking so long? He needed answers. He needed answers now.

Plagg, who had disappeared after the detransformation, smacked into his face in a frantic fit.

“Where is the cheese?” he screamed.

Adrien swatted at the kwami. “It’s in the drawer where it always is. Now get out of my way. This is important.”

“More important than my missing cheese? I think not! Where did it go? Did you eat it?”

“Why would I eat your stupid cheese? It smells horrible and doesn’t even taste that good.”

“Hoooow dare you!! Cheese provides life itself! One cannot survive without cheese!” Plagg dropped dramatically onto Adrien’s keyboard. “I grow weary without it. I’m not sure how much longer I can go on. The world is slipping away. Darkness overtakes me. You must go on without me, Adrien. Goodbye world.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.”

Adrien reached into his pocket and extracted the spare stash of camembert he kept for moments like this. He pulled out a slice and chucked it at the kwami. Plagg, whose eyes were closed from his acting, complained at having something thrown in his face.

“Hey! What was that for, you…. Cheeeeeeeeeeeessssseeee!!!! My precious. My darling sweetheart. Come here, gorgeous!”

Lacking any semblance of manners, Plagg shoved the entire slice in his mouth at once.

Realizing Adrien was paying no mind to him. He flew back to the boy’s face and started poking it. “Whatcha doin? Whatcha doin? Whatcha doin? Can I help? Can I help? Can I help? Can I….”

“Will you shut up?” Adrien snapped.

“Geeze. Someone’s in a bad mood.”

“Only because you keep annoying me.”

Plagg gasped in mock offense. “Me? Annoying? How could this ever be? I am the least annoying kwami on the planet. It’s not like I am literally the kwami of destruction and chaos. Nope. Definitely no reason for me to cause people to go insane. I am offended that you would even think such a….”

“Plagg.”

“Yeeeeeeeeeesss?”

“I can let you starve.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

After what felt like an eternity, Adrien’s computer loaded. He hurriedly searched for a picture of Ladybug. He scrolled through countless photos until he found a recent one that showed her full body and face.

He opened another tab and typed in the link to his school’s website. He had never been on it before, so it took him some time to find where pictures were. Once he did, he found the photos from last year. He scrolled until he spotted ones of Marinette. There was one of just her face and one of her whole body. He clicked on the full body shot and dragged it beside the picture of Ladybug.

He meticulously scanned both bodies. Hair? Check. Eyes? Check. Height? Check. Build? Check. Ladybug had a little more muscle tone than Marinette, but someone could easily build muscle in a year. Adrien knew he had packed on lean mass after becoming Chat Noir.

Both had the same features. Both donned the same smile. Both had a caring nature. Both always had a positive attitude. Both had the same bubbly personality. Both shared an interest in clothes and art. Both placed a lot of effort into their grades. Both had classes similar if not identical to his own. Both had a problem with being in a project with a bad boy.

And both had that beautiful, unmistakable voice.

Adrien leaned back in his chair, hands covering his gaping mouth. He wasn’t sure what to make of this discovery. How could he have missed something this big for so long? He must really be stupid.

In a way, it made sense. Marinette was the epitome of a good person, so naturally she would become a hero the second the chance arose. She really was too good for this world. For him.

Why would she want to work with him? She was so much smarter. She was so much nicer. She had so many other people who loved her, looked out for her, enjoyed spending time with her. And yet she spent time with him in both sides of her life. And not just in passing. She was actively making points to interact with him. Granted, they had been thrown together in both situations, but she could still resist. She was fully capable of doing things on her own.

Both Adrien and Chat Noir had one person that consistently showed a semblance of care. Who didn’t make him feel alone. Who saw him as more than an utter failure and disappointment. Who didn’t think he was just some guy to beat up. And turns out, both of those girls were one and the same.

Adrien felt like a train crashed into him – he would know. He didn’t know how to process this. He laughed in disbelief.

“Ladybug is Marinette,” he whispered to himself. “Marinette is Ladybug.”

“Well, duh.”

Adrien sat up slowly. He turned and glared suspiciously at the little black kwami. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. I’ve seen Tiki. Ladybug’s kwami. Besides, it’s super obvious.”

“And you never thought to divulge this information?”

“I didn’t think it was that important. If it had been, you would have asked.”

Adrien stood. He nodded his head slowly, thinking of how he was going to kill Plagg. It must have shown on his face because Plagg cried, “Oh no” before flying away as fast as he could, Adrien close on his tail.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have not seen the opera, the Phantom originally pretends to be an angel of music and teaches Christine how to sing under that ruse. That is what I'm referencing when I talk about the angel of music. Thought I would clarify.  
> Hope you like the chapter.

Natalie talked through Adrien’s schedule. He had stopped listening a while back. He had grasped what he needed to know.

His father was irate that he made the lead in the school performance.

Gabriel hadn’t outright said anything. Oh no. That would have been too easy. Instead, he made Adrien’s busy schedule even more hectic even though he now had practices after school. Who needed sleep, right? Not like humans needed rest to function or anything.

His father claimed he had been wanting to make these adjustments for some time and this was the prime opportunity for him to do so. That was a lie. He was trying to wear Adrien out. To make him drop out of the play. And if he didn’t drop out, he would be kicked out of the role because exhaustion had caused his performance to decline drastically.

Adrien could understand why his father didn’t want him to do it. It was the exact reason he had to do it.

His mother.

Adrien wanted to remember her. Feel closer to her. He felt like taking up this gender-swapped version of the beloved character she portrayed would somehow bring them closer together, even if she wasn’t there physically to watch it.

Adrien could still remember when she first showed him the recording of her performance. He had been so enthralled in it – not just because his mother was singing in it, but because it seemed so magical. He mother had laughed at his excitement. Once it was over, she pulled him into her lap, sweeping his hair out of his face.

“Mama, I think you sing like an angel,” he had said. “If there is an angel of music, I think it taught you.”

She had chuckled, smiling down at him. “You know, my love,” she had said, “there is an angel of music.”

“Really?” he had exclaimed. He had bounced up and down in her lap. “Can I meet him then?”

His mother had laughed. “You cannot see the angel, love. It is inside of you. I believe there is a spirit in the heart of all those who truly listen. The more you feed it, the stronger it grows. And as it grows, you learn to love music more and more. Our angels are pulled to one another. And feed off each other.”

“Woah!”

“Never forget that. One day, I won’t be around anymore, but I will always be with you right here.” She rested her hand over his heart. “My angel will always be close to yours. The spirit of music will always provide hope and joy and peace that no one else can give you. And it cannot be taken away.”

That’s why he had to play the part. Even though he hated the thought of being on stage, all those people who didn’t even like him watching. But he wasn’t doing it for them. He was doing it for his mom.

His father couldn’t see that though. All he could see was how his disappointment of a son could never live up to his mother’s legacy. Surely, he would disgrace the role and bring dishonor to his mother’s memory. He wasn’t wrong. Adrien knew he couldn’t do it justice. But that wasn’t going to stop him. And no matter what his father did to him, he would persevere.

That afternoon, he walked into the auditorium for the first rehearsal. He moved silently towards the stage, going unnoticed by the other students. They continued to talk as he drew closer.

“Can you believe he got the role?”

“Luka deserved it so much more. The character is supposed to be sweet. Adrien can’t pull that off.”

“I can’t believe we’ll have to spend so much time with that guy. I can’t stand him.”

“He’s just going to pick fights with all of us and make everything harder. I hope they kick him out soon.”

The doors flew open in the back of the auditorium. Adrien turned to see Marinette, Nino, and a girl he guessed to be Alya walking in. 

Marinette waved at him, completely oblivious to the way his world came to a screeching halt as he remembered his recent discovery. This was his Lady waving at him. He was about to play a major role with Ladybug in a school play. Wow, that was weird to think about.

To avoid looking at her any longer, he turned to the rest of the students, their faces a mixture of shock, horror, and shame. They must have realized he heard their gossip.

He walked up to one of the boys and patted him on the shoulder with a little more force than necessary. Donning an expression of visibly fake friendliness, he spoke with an upbeat voice, yet the underlying bitterness seeped through. 

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’re all going to be great friends and have so much fun. I definitely won’t have a problem with any one of you after hearing just how highly you think of me.”

He walked up to the stage and pulled himself onto it. Putting some headphones on, he waited for the practice to start. After hearing his peers talking, he didn’t want to sit around with them anymore than necessary. He wanted to sing and get out of there. He wasn’t there for them. Rather than get mad and dwell on it, he was going to ignore it and once again become indifferent.

Adrien felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Marinette standing in front of him. He inhaled sharply. He still didn’t know how to feel about this girl being Ladybug. He wasn’t mad or anything, but he wasn’t comfortable with it either. It was just… weird.

He pulled off his headphones, and she began to speak.

“Hey. Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to give you this.” She held out a USB drive. “I was up super late last night cause I couldn’t sleep. When that happens, I usually do schoolwork. Anyway. I finished a rough draft for the project. I figured you wouldn’t mind me finishing without you. Just wanted to let you see it. I know you probably don’t care and might not even look over it….”

“No, I’ll look over it.” He took the drive from her hand. 

He hastily shoved the drive into his pocket. Why had he taken it? This could have been his way out of this project mess. But it was he was in this project with. He couldn’t let Ladybug fail. Gahhh this was so confusing. Adrien hid his face so the girl couldn’t see how much she was driving him crazy.

Marinette looked at him surprised. “Really? Okay then. That’s great. Just text me and let me know what you think.”

Miss Bustier walked into the auditorium and clapped loudly to gain everyone’s attention. “Okay, everyone. Glad we are all here today. So excited. We will all have lots of fun together. So. Today, we shall start off with one of the hardest choreography numbers since that will take the most practice. Now, let’s get started with Masquerade.”

Adrien’s pulse skyrocketed as everyone gathered to learn their parts. This would be a cinch for him as he had watched it so many times. He put on his character’s persona. Yet another façade for him to wear. He was glad they were starting with this piece. He always felt a connection with it. Another song written just for him.

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade.  
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you.  
Masquerade! Seething shadows, breathing lies.  
Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you.  
Masquerade! Leering satyrs, peering eyes.  
Masquerade! Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

“Sooooo, you gonna tell me what was so important that you had to leave?”

Chat Noir turned towards Ladybug. The soft glow of the city perfectly outlined her features. How on earth had he found someone so good and perfect and beautiful who wanted anything to do with him? And in both sides of his life.

She was incredibly talented too. Very graceful. Not that someone would think it from watching her as Marinette. Even from afar, Adrien had noticed how clumsy the girl appeared. She seemed to go so fast in her mind that her body couldn’t keep up. Not that that stopped her.

When moving with passion and forethought, she was like a swan. Whenever she fought as Ladybug, she was a force to be reckoned with, dodging and flipping with ease. And during their practices at school, Marinette danced with unrivaled coordination.

Adrien couldn’t understand how one girl could be so clumsy and so nimble. He supposed it had something to do with her mentality as to how she acted. Running around as Marinette, she didn’t have to have impeccable coordination or face every situation with confidence. But as Ladybug, she couldn’t afford anything less.

He knew he became a completely different person when Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. In superhero form, his priorities shifted, and therefore his mentality did too. He wondered how differently he came across. He knew he was more confident, cocky, and flirtatious. But were there other things? He wished he had someone who knew his identity to ask.

Ladybug snapped her fingers in his face to draw his attention back to her.

“Hello? Earth to Chat Noir. You going to answer me?”

Chat shook his head, clearing it of his thoughts. “What was that?”

Ladybug continued on their patrol route, talking as she went. “I asked if you were gonna tell me why you ran off after eating that Chinese food.”

Oh right. Of course she would ask about that. He had to admit, it had to have looked pretty suspicious. He probably would have asked her the same thing if their positions had been swapped.

Chat Noir knew he couldn’t give her the truth. He smirked at his female partner. If you can’t use honesty, best resort to humor and flirting. 

“Oh, someone is finally taking an interest in me, huh? Been thinking about her purr-fect knight in black armor? Couldn’t get me and my mysteries out of your head?”

Chat could practically her eyeroll. “No. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay. That something bad didn’t happen or I did something wrong or anything.”

She was so sweet. Of course her first speculation as he ran away was it was her fault. Technically, she wasn’t wrong this time. But still. She was way too pure of heart to be connected to him. He would just corrupt and hurt her, and then she would turn around and leave him.

The red hero glanced over her shoulder at him, and he realized she was still waiting on his reply. “Nope. Nothing bad. Something good actually.”

“Oh really? I’m intrigued. Care to share?”

Ever instinct goaded him to shut his mouth. There was no good that would come out of him sharing the truth.

Even so, a part of him briefly considered sharing it anyway. It only seemed fair. He knew who she was, but she didn’t know the same. 

He quickly pushed the idea out of his mind. Once she figured out who he was, she would be disgusted. She would see the truth that he wasn’t a hero, and she would want nothing more to do with him. After all, she had been so disgusted at the thought of him when they were assigned the project together. She couldn’t have changed her mind that drastically since then. And when she found out who he was, he would lose both sides of the only light in his life. He wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t think he ever would be, but he wanted to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

“Not really.”

Ladybug hesitated as she thought how to answer, wanting to know more but wanting to respect his privacy. He liked that. She wasn’t one to cross boundaries. Normally, anyway.

Chat decided to try and ease the moment.

“Why don’t you tell me about your day?”

Ladybug snorted. “You want to hear about my day? Wow. You must be desperate not to talk to ask for my boring babbling.” There was a hint of insecurity in her voice as she said the last part.

That’s strange. Ladybug was the confident one. She had nothing to be insecure about. If either of them had reason to be insecure, it was him. And he was. But she shouldn’t be. Chat didn’t like that she felt that way. He wasn’t very good at comforting people. He had nothing to base it off of since no one really comforted him. He thought of what he wanted people to do for him. All he could think of was honesty and authentic care.

Here goes nothing. “I like hearing you talk.”

Ladybug spun and stared at him. She searched his face, looking to see if he was joking.

“Really?” she questioned.

“Yeah. It makes me forget about all my problems.” 

Where had that come from? He wasn’t quite sure why he said that. He was never that honest. Not even with himself. Was it true? As he thought, he realized it was. Huh. This girl really could work miracles.

“Okay then,” she said slowly. “Do you ever have those days that a lot of things seem to go wrong all at once?”

He nodded. If only she knew. That was his daily norm. When she didn’t continue, he realized he was behind her, so she couldn’t see his nod. “Yeah.”

She started to rant about her day. She talked on and on like usual, but Chat could tell the day had taken its toll on her. She just didn’t have her normal energy. He could understand that. He was like that a lot. And just like Ladybug did when he was in that mind-frame, he wasn’t going to push her. He would just let her get it out. He would be there for her. He never wanted her to feel down by herself.

She told him how she accidentally slept through her alarm because she stayed up late doing homework. Therefore, she was late to school. She missed most of a test, which was going to affect her overall grade. She was supposed to hang out with her best friend at lunch, but her friend and her were at odds over something so she went out with her boyfriend, leaving Marinette by herself. Then, she went to turn in her homework in her final class and realized she had mixed up all her assignments, turning the wrong works into all her teachers. She had to hunt them down and find the right assignments, which was quite a hassle. Then, during practice for the play, she kept forgetting her parts and steps, just adding to her frustration and embarrassment.

Chat listened. He had noticed a lot of these things happening, but he didn’t think anything of it. He was used to coming into school late. He made a point to stall on tests, so he never finished them. He always sat alone for lunch, so he hadn’t noticed that. He rarely turned in homework, so that had never been a problem for him. During their practice, he had noticed she seemed a little out of it, but he thought she was still doing better than most. He just assumed she didn’t know the opera by heart like him.

He felt bad that he didn’t help her through any of that. If he didn’t know it was her, that would be one thing. But he did. That was his Lady hurting. And in such close proximity to him. He could have easily done something for her. After all the things she had done for him, it only seemed fair. Besides, a girl like her deserved to be happy.

He made a vow to himself to pay more attention. To try and see things form her point of view. Next time he saw something like that happening, he would make a point to help her. Screw his reputation. Screw himself getting hurt. He wasn’t going to let his Lady suffer.

Ladybug concluded her rant as they finished their patrol. She sighed and turned to her partner. “Thank you, Chatton. That really helped to get it off my chest.”

“Any time,” he replied.

She looked at him more seriously. “I know you have a lot of rough days too. You never say anything, but I can tell. I don’t know why you keep it all inside, but it’s not healthy. You should let it out sometimes too.”

Chat knew she was just trying to help. But he didn’t want to do that. That would just destroy what little control and coping mechanisms he’d formulated over the years. He didn’t want her to worry though.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He waved to her and took off towards his house.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Adrien walked through the school courtyard, searching for a place to eat his lunch. His usual corner in the cafeteria had been taken over by some kids in the play who were still unhappy with his participation. He could have forced them to move with ease, but he didn’t. They were actively trying to piss him off. Getting into a fight would mean they accomplished their goal. He would not give them the satisfaction.

He was about to seat himself in a secluded section of the courtyard when he spotted a certain pigtailed girl. He was just going to leave her be since Alya and Nino would surely have plans with her.

Then, he realized she was alone, and she looked sad. He recalled how Ladybug had said her friends had eaten lunch without her the day prior. That had seemed to really upset her.

Adrien couldn’t fully understand how that must feel. He always ate by himself. Even when he was at home. It had been that way as long as he could remember. He even preferred it that way.

He did, however, know what it felt like to feel betrayed and alone. It sucked.

He remembered the vow he made to himself last night. He wouldn’t let her be down in solitude like he was. She deserved better than the pain he lived in. Not if he could do anything about it. Which he could.

He walked over to her. When he stood before her, he cleared his throat to catch her attention. She looked up and blinked at him a few times. He assumed he was the last person she would expect to come talk to her. He would have been surprised in her shoes too.

They stood staring at each other for a few moments, neither one knowing how to break the tension.

Finally, Adrien spoke up. “Scoot over,” he said, making a slight gesture with his hand.

Marinette furrowed her brow but did as he asked. He plopped down on the bench beside her and pulled out his lunch. 

Silently, he began to eat. His mind was running wild as he tried to figure out why in the world he was doing this. He could feel eyes all around the room staring at him. He had worked so hard to make a specific reputation in this school. To make it seem like he didn’t care about anyone but himself. People didn’t like to be around self-centered people, so they left him alone. This would not help that reputation. Why was he throwing his defenses away for this girl who didn’t even know who he was inside? Who would have no interest in him when everything came into the light?

He recalled all the times as Ladybug she had helped him when he was down. Whether she did it one purpose or by her natural persona he wasn’t certain. But she helped. And then there was that time in the library on the anniversary of his mother’s death when she helped him as Marinette.

Adrien wasn’t good with emotions. He blocked them out. He didn’t understand them. They only complicated things. Led to problems. But it seemed fair that he try to show emotional support to her for once.

They sat quietly, eating their food. Eventually, Marinette seemed to have enough of this. She put her fork down and stared at him.

“What are you doing? I’m confused.”

Adrien didn’t even look up from his food. “Eating lunch,” he deadpanned. “You see, in the middle of the day when you are hungry, you consume sustenance. You open your mouth, and then you….”

“You know what I meant. What are you doing here? Beside me? Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the company. It just seems very out of character for you. I mean, it’s one thing if we arrange a meeting to work, but this is different. Out of the blue. I don’t get it. Do you want something?”

Shoot. He wasn’t ready for questions. He was sort of hoping she would just let it happen and not ask anything. He supposed that was a stupid delusion. Out of habit, he looked away and came up with a lie.

“There was nowhere better to sit.”

“Okay, that’s a lie. There are plenty other places to sit.”

Adrien sighed, putting down his fork. He still didn’t look at her though. That felt too personal. He knew he was being personal anyway, but he wanted to keep that bit of wall between them. 

“You were by yourself. You looked sad. I didn’t like it. I decided I could fix at least one of those problems.” He picked up his fork and took another bite.

Silence. After a few second, he heard a soft, “Oh, okay.”

Once they finished their meal, they sat in awkward silence. Adrien felt like her eyes were boring holes into his very soul, but he still refused to look at her. He really did want to be there for her, but he didn’t know how to convey that besides physical presence. He had kept his façades on for so long. As his bad boy self, he wouldn’t be doing this. It would make no sense for him to act like Chat Noir in this form. That left only his true self, and he wasn’t even sure who that was at the moment. He didn’t know how to act that way, much less in public. He had built a fortress around his thoughts and expressions, and he just couldn’t break it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to either. All that would do was cause more pain. He had enough of that already.

Marinette cleared her throat. “So. You, uh, wouldn’t have happened to look over the project, would you?”

Oh thank goodness. Leave it up to his Lady to break the awkwardness.

“Oh. Yeah, yeah I did.”

“Really?” the girl said excitedly. “So, what do you think? I mean, I know you probably don’t care that much, but any input is appreciated. And since it’s yours too, you can add whatever you want.”

“Yeah, I already did that.”

She looked at him questioningly. “Okay. What did you do?”

He had been bored and procrastinating. He had seen the USB drive and decided to work on it. Honestly, he had enjoyed the work. It was him helping his Lady. He liked that. He might have gotten a little carried away though.

“Well, I rewrote the introduction. No offense, but it was horrible. We are supposed to grab people’s attention for an inventor who impacted the world, not make them think they are about to hear the most boring, drawn out biography report of their lives.”

Marinette made a noise in protest, but he continued without even thinking what he was saying.

“Some of your wording was awkward, so I smoothed that out. I added a few more pictures and made the ones you had better quality. I also rearranged the order of his inventions. You had them in chronological order, which is good for a report, but it doesn’t make a good presentation. It doesn’t make an impact. I put them in order from least recognized to most well-known. That should help fix that some. I also added a few facts about his life that aren’t exactly important but are interesting. That will make people more captivated and more connected with him. How people feel about it will ultimately affect the grade more than how proper of a report it is.”

Dead silence. Adrien realized he probably offended her by pointing out all the things she didn’t do well. Way to go him. He probably just made her day worse. Now she wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He turned to her to say he would change it all back.

Marinette stared at him, mouth hanging open and eyes widened. Well that was odd. Maybe she was mentally screaming at him, planning on how she was going to beat him up. She could do it too. He had seen her fight. He would have thought she was above that, but apparently not. Might as well get the yelling and swinging started.

“You gonna say something?” he asked. It came out a little more harshly than he intended, but that’s what happens when someone blocks out their emotions.

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. Well, that was odd. Not a great way to start an argument.

“I knew it,” she said softly.

Adrien tilted his head in confusion. “Knew what?” He was growing annoyed. Why wouldn’t she just get to the point?

The girl jumped up and started hopping around. “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it! I! Knew! It!” She stopped her bouncing and pointed her finger directly at his face. “You’ve been faking it the whole time. You do the work. You do listen in class. I knew all your grades were a suspicious level of bad. You’re probably a genius deep inside that head of yours.”

Adrien leaned back, positioning his arms behind his head. He had to admit, he did like being called a genius. It felt good to have this girl think highly of him. He just hoped she would keep her mouth shut about it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, trying to play it cool. “You’re clearly delusional.”

“Yah ha. Yeah. Okay,” Marinette replied, crossing her arms. She leaned towards him. “I’ll keep your secret just because I’m feeling nice. But we both know the truth.”

Adrien felt a small smile creeping across his own face. “Still don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve done all the work on this project. I’ve just watched.”

The bell rang, bringing their conversation to an end. Adrien picked up his stuff and started to go his way when Marinette grabbed his shoulder.

“Thank you. For everything.” She paused in contemplation. “You know, I think deep down, you’re a pretty good guy. I just hope you reach the point where you feel free to show it.”


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Adrien. Gotta make some mistakes on your road to getting better. But thankfully, Marinette is a sweetheart.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Adrien walked out of the school. He was glad he didn’t have play practice today. Not that he would get a break. His father still refused to let up on his schedule. But at least in private sessions and photoshoots there was an overall understanding that it was a platonic setting. He and his teachers didn’t need to get along. They just needed to get stuff done. At school, people kept pushing him to get closer to other students. To interact more. Like that was going to happen.

As he stepped outside, he heard yelling to his right. He turned to see a group gathering. Intrigued, he pushed his way towards the commotion.

Once he was closer, he could see the two in the middle. One was a jock. He had seen the boy with Kim on many occasions. Adrien believed his name was something like Michael. This guy was a massive senior with a temper problem. Facing him was a petite blonde girl he recognized as none other than Chloe Bourgeois.

Chloe was a spitfire. A force to be reckoned with. Adrien had learned this a long time ago. Her father, the mayor of Paris, had been very close with his father. They had spent a considerable amount of time together as children. She was the reason he was attending Lycee Francoise Dupont. Adrien had originally hoped they would be together a lot when he attended the school, but they typically ignored each other. He might be pretty popular, but he wasn’t nearly as popular as Chloe.

The one thing they still had in common was their reputation for starting conflict. Adrien knew she did it as a way to cope with her mom being mean to her. He understood her. Her behavior was a disguise to prevent future hurt, just like his.

Chloe confidently spoke to the fuming jock. “I said no. I will not go out with a stupid, ugly jerk like you.”

Adrien cringed as he heard the rejection. It wasn’t that bad. It was mild for Chloe. But he knew it would only escalate the situation. And when it did, he would get pulled into it. That was the only time the girl showed any remembrance of their connection. When she needed him to fight for her.

“Now listen here, you little witch!” Michael continued.

“Or what?”

“I can destroy you! I can ruin your reputation!”

“And I can destroy yours quicker.”

Michael laughed in a maniacal way that sends shivers up anyone listening’s spine. “And how exactly are you gonna do that? Insult my fashion sense?” he mocked.

“No, although it is distasteful. Really, you look like something one of my servants would mop the floor with,” Chloe countered, scrunching up her nose in disgust. “I was thinking I would show everyone just how weak you are under all those fake muscles.”

Adrien sighed. Here it came.

“Adrakins!!!”

The sea of students parted for him before he even made a move. Adrien puffed out his chest, raised his head, and walked towards the girl. He knew he could just leave her, but he still felt responsible for her to some degree. Maybe it was because he knew how rough her home life was and sympathized with her

Once he reached his destination, he turned to Michael. The boy was a full head taller than him and was made of solid muscle. Normally, he would avoid getting in a fight with such a guy, but it was too late now. He couldn’t back down. Especially not with this many people watching. 

Besides, it was probably best to get in a fight after all the damage he kept doing to his school reputation.

Michael laughed at him. “Really? What are you gonna do? Move aside, you little pipsqueak.”

Adrien punched the guy in the gut. Apparently, it was a solid hit because the jock doubled over. This didn’t last long though.

As his opponent rushed towards him, Adrien assessed the scenario. On first glance, it would seem he had no hope. The other guy was so much larger and stronger than him. But, he knew how to use that to his advantage. He had plenty of practice with outmatched opponents as Chat Noir. He could maneuver more easily than this guy. He was faster. All he had to do was avoid being….

Wham!

Adrien stumbled backwards as a huge fist collided with his temple. Oh joy. That was gonna cause a headache. He should have been paying better attention.

As Michael went for another hit, Adrien leaned to the left. He kicked at the jock’s knee to try and bring him down, but he was still unfocused and miscalculated the action. The jock ended up smashing Adrien’s face with his fist. There was a crack followed by pain shooting from his nose. Great. Now that was definitely broken.

He decided to switch over to a more defensive strategy. He already couldn’t see straight from his shocked system. It would be foolish to try offense without help. Which he didn’t have. He dodged the oncoming blows, awaiting an opening for his own attack. 

Eventually, Michael stumbled and used his arms for balance. This left his head and neck completely exposed.

Adrien gave an uppercut to Michael’s chin which he followed with an elbow to his windpipe. Michael fell to the ground gasping for air in the shock of the impacts. Adrien gave him a solid knee to the nose, which he was sure would break it.

“Now we’re even.”

Chloe came up to him. “Oh Adrien. I knew you would win for me.”

She kept saying something, but Adrien brushed past her. It was clearly just for show, and he didn’t want to deal with it. 

His head hurt. His face throbbed. And he felt like a sack of bricks hit him in the stomach as he realized he was supposed to go to a photoshoot after this. It would undoubtedly be canceled because of his swelling face. Boy would he get in trouble for that. He was sure this was not the only beating he would take today.

He heavily sat himself onto the steps and waited for that dreaded limo to arrive. The school nurse came and helped Michael up, directing him back into the building for medical attention. She must not have seen Adrien, which he was grateful for. The students dispersed, more and more leaving as time passed. 

After a while, he was the only one left. The limo was late. That was odd. He wasn’t worried about it, though. He was in no rush to get home to his angry father.

Adrien felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw Marinette giving him a sad smile. She silently offered him what he guessed was ice encased in a wad of paper towels. He accepted it gratefully and held it to his nose.

She sat beside him. “That was stupid.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“I couldn’t just abandon Chloe. She would have gotten hurt.”

Marinette smiled at him once more. “See. I told you you were a good guy.”

Adrien removed the ice so he could look at her better. He squinted at her in disbelief. “You just watched me beat some guy up, and you think I’m the good guy?”

Marinette shrugged. “Everybody shows they care in different ways. The fact that you stood up for Chloe even though you aren’t really close to her anymore shows you’re loyal. That’s honorable. You just have to learn to use it in a good way.”

Adrien snorted. “You sound like a Disney princess.”

The two turned as the limo pulled up in front of them.

“There’s your ride. You should probably go home. Get your nose checked out.” The girl stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Adrien.”

“Bye, princess.”


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little happy, fluff chapter. Sweet Marinette just wants to give Adrien a nice experience to encourage more hard work in the future.
> 
> Enjoy!

Miss Bustier handed out the grades for her assignment.

Adrien thought his and Marinette’s project went quite well. He had stood back and let Marinette do the entire presentation. She had been nervous over presenting, but she did great. Her nervousness didn’t show. Miss Bustier had given him a few sharp looks over his lack of assistance, but she didn’t outright say anything.

Adrien felt proud that Marinette kept in every change he made to the project. Honestly, it felt good to have something he worked hard on be shown, even if he didn’t specifically take credit for it. He looked forward to feeling this again when he finally left his current life behind, started over, and attended medical school.

When his teacher handed him the grade, she leaned towards him. “Congratulations,” she whispered. “I knew you could get it one day.”

A+

Wow, that was a strange sight. He was used to bright red F’s and the occasional D staring back at him. But not today. Today, it was an A.

When class ended, he heard a squeal behind him. Before he could turn around, the source threw herself onto him, throwing him off balance. If it hadn’t been for the arms encompassing him, he would have toppled over.

He heard Marinette’s muffled voice. “Thank you, for helping me. This A makes me happy.”

“I can tell,” Adrien replied flatly. 

He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t going to hug her back. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been hugged. It was probably from his mother. He had had a few partial embraces with Ladybug after terrifying, life threatening incidents had been resolved. Those didn’t really count though. 

Even if he wanted to return this girl’s embrace, he couldn’t since she was behind him. She probably did that on purpose, knowing full well he couldn’t resist from his incapacitated state. 

“Will you let go of me?” Adrien jerked, trying to free himself from her grasp.

Marinette’s grip only tightened. “Nope.”

“What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

“I mean nope.”

“You’re insane,” Adrien said, trying to come across as annoyed even though he found it somewhat endearing. He pulled at her arms once more. “People are beginning to stare.”

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I do.”

Finally, Adrien felt her embrace loosen. He quickly freed himself before she could tighten it again. When he spun around to face her, the smile that she was giving him warmed his insides. She had no idea the effect she could have on him. He wished he could cause that smile all the time.

“We should celebrate,” Marinette blurted out. 

“And why would we do that?”

“Because this is like your first A since you’ve gotten here. You did a good job, even though you made it look like you did nothing.” She paused. “You have any time after school?”

Adrien was thrown off by this. He had assumed she would want nothing more to do with him after the project concluded. Yet here she was, asking if they could spend time together not only outside of the project but outside of school. She never ceased to confuse him. It intrigued him. He liked it.

“For a little while,” he answered.

He knew he had fencing and piano lessons that afternoon, but he had about an hour and a half between the end of school and the beginning of his fencing lesson. Might as well get some fun out of it.

“Great!” Marinette beamed at him. “Meet me by the entrance at the end of school.”

When school concluded, Adrien waited for Marinette at the steps. For a brief moment, he considered just leaving, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He knew it would hurt her feeling. He didn’t want to do that. Not that he would admit that out loud. 

It didn’t take long for the girl to come bounding over to him. Adrien chuckled to himself. With that bubbly behavior, she truly was his Lady.

“You ready?” she asked him.

“Well, I might be if I knew what we were doing.”

Marinette smirked at him. “You’ll see.” She sprinted down the steps and down the street. “Come on!” she called.

Adrien rolled his eyes. How had he ended up here? Following this girl around? No longer completely alone? He wasn’t entirely sure, but as he darted after her, he knew he was glad he did.

She stopped in front of a bakery, Adrien right behind her. 

“Hungry?” he asked.

“No. Well, yes. But that’s only part of the reason we’re here.” The bell at the top of the door rang as she pushed open the door. “Mama! Papa! I’m back!”

Wait? What did she just call?

A man and women appeared from behind the counter. They lit up as they saw their daughter. 

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” the man said. His voice was full of gentleness and affection. Adrien wondered what that must feel like to hear your father speak like that. He couldn’t even imagine it in his wildest dreams.

“Oh, you brought a friend,” Marinette’s mother said. She wiped her hand on her apron before holding it out to Adrien. “Nice to meet you. My name is Sabine. This is my husband, Tom.”

Adrien took the hand politely like he would one of his father’s friends. “Nice to meet you. I’m Adrien.”

He was awkward. He didn’t like being thrown into this without warning. Why would Marinette bring him here? How was he supposed to act? He hadn’t met people outside of fancy events and school events. Was Marinette expecting him to act like a goody-two-shoes? He decided it was best to use simple manners until he had better assessed the whole scenario.

“Would you like anything, son?” Tom asked. He smiled at Adrien warmly. “We just pulled out a batch of cookies if you would like some.”

Adrien gawked at the man for a moment. Had he really called him son? His own father rarely called him that. In a grand total of three seconds, this stranger had shown him more fatherly love than his own father had in the past few years combined. 

Adrien shook his head, regaining his composure. “No thank you, sir. I’m quite alright.”

Marinette snickered. She leaned towards him and whispered in his ear. “And where are these manners at school?” she teased.

“Be quiet,” he whispered back.

“Come on,” Sabine said, beckoning him further into the establishment. “We needed a break anyway. Tell us a little about yourself.”

Adrien ended up staying with the three as long as he possibly could. He loved it there. The atmosphere was so welcoming. He was sure Tom and Sabine wouldn’t have been so welcoming if they knew what he was normally like. He found himself very glad he took the time that morning to cover his broken nose and various bruises.

When he left, Tom patted him on the back in a man-to-man moment. Adrien had been sure the man was about to hit him, so he flinched. Tom saw this but didn’t mention it. Adrien was grateful for that.

Sabine tried to give him cookies to take home, but he kindly refused. He knew no one would be happy if he walked into his house with baked goods. Not only was it against his father’s diet for him, but they would also be proof that he was doing things he wasn’t supposed to. He had lied about staying late at school to keep his bodyguard from picking him up. Cookies would reveal his deception. He didn’t need to give his father anything to be angry about.

Adrien left the bakery with a smile on his face and warmth in his chest. He hadn’t felt that loved since his mother passed. He knew it wouldn’t last, but he reveled in it anyway. He hoped he would be allowed to return sometime.

Maybe his life wasn’t completely horrible after all.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is some more play-based content. Hooray! And cue Lila entering the scene.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter before things go downhill for our precious boy.

As Adrien and Marinette spent more time together, their connection strengthened. This was evident in every aspect of their relationship – especially their performances.

Adrien’s mother had always told him chemistry was key to a good show. The audience could tell if two actors didn’t like each other, and that made it less enjoyable. To be the very best, interacting performers had to know each other, like each other, and trust each other.

He hadn’t realized just how true that was until this play. He had no problem doing his parts with Marinette. He was comfortable with her. He could relax. That meant that his steps were more graceful, and his voice was more confident. He could feed off her energy and vice versa. They might be acting, but it came across as completely natural.

This was not the case with anyone else.

“Adrien,” Miss Bustier called. “You have to let Lila touch you.”

“Do I though?”

The teacher pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your characters are supposed to be in love. It is supposed to be a sweet, physical love to contrast the ominous, mysterious relationship with the Phantom. You act as if Lila is trying to kill you. Please. Show some emotion with her.”

Adrien turned to see the girl wiggling her eyebrows at him. 

Lila was a manipulator. He was pretty sure she was a sociopath. She would use her words and body language to get whatever she wanted. He didn’t like that. He didn’t feel comfortable with her at all. That’s why he didn’t want her touching him. He had enough bad experiences with physical contact as it was.

He didn’t know what her motivation was, but she wanted something from him. And he wasn’t going to give it to her.

“Yeah, Adrien,” Lila said. “We have to convince everyone of how in love we are.”

Adrien didn’t like this part of the play. That’s All I Ask of You was a romantic song, expressing the great longing and attraction between their characters. He didn’t agree with it. He always liked the Phantom better. The Phantom just wanted to be loved, to have someone see through his outward appearance and accept him. He was completely alone, music being the only means of escape from the darkness. Adrien felt for him.

Adrien understood his own character, overwhelmed with longing for this dangerous stranger. Connecting the Phantom with beautiful memories of the past. Seeking comfort from this world of the music. Only wanting love lost from a passed parent and hoping to find it in a violent man. Knowing it was a horrible place to look for love but scared of losing it anyway.

But he had no way to make a connection with this scene or Lila. He didn’t understand this sweet love. Relationships like this made him want to gag. He didn’t understand the giddiness. He didn’t understand the touching.

Granted, Ladybug brought warmth to his very being and placed a smile on his face, but that was different. First of all, it was just a futile attraction never to be returned. Secondly, it was an emotional connection. As both Ladybug and Marinette, she didn’t initiate that much physical support for him. There was some, but it wasn’t the majority. She expressed it through words and body language.

So how was he supposed to sing this love song he didn’t understand to someone he doesn’t even like them….

That’s it! He couldn’t sing it as his character, because he couldn’t relate. But he could think of it as himself singing to Ladybug. This song about longing for companionship and safety. It was something only she would provide. And thinking of her would allow him to relax.

“Okay,” he said. “I got this now.”

Miss Bustier clapped her hands together. “Fantastic! I know you two can do this. From the top!”

The music started playing, and the pair faced each other. On que, Lila began singing her lines. As his part neared, he closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined himself with Ladybug. Or singing with Marinette. He clung to the feeling she evoked inside him. The way she could take his mind off all the hardships in his life. The desire he felt for it to last forever, even though he knew it wouldn’t. The longing for her to return such feelings.

He began to sing.

Say you’ll love me every waking moment.  
Turn my head with talk of summertime.  
Say you need me with you now and always.  
Promise me that all you say is true.  
That’s all I ask of you.

Adrien found himself relaxing, able to sing this song with passion for the first time. He was able to feed off the girl before him. Mainly because he wasn’t really seeing her. He was blocking her out. He imagined his Lady.

All I want it freedom,  
A world with no more night.  
And you, always beside me,  
To hold me and to hide me.

Adrien could feel himself getting caught in the moment. As he sang, it struck him. He wasn’t just vaguely attracted to that raven-haired girl. He loved her. Both sides of her. Maybe it wasn’t some fiery, overly romantic love. It was more a caring, protective love. But it was love. He had completely lost himself to this girl. And boy was that going to backfire on him.

Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime.  
Say the word and I will follow you.  
Share each day with me, each night, each morning.  
Say you love me.  
Love me. That’s all I ask of you.

When the song concluded, it immediately went into the reprise. He couldn’t sing it with the same passion. This part was about the hope of future romance. Of a continued, shared love. He wouldn’t have that.

But he sang it the best he could. He remembered how he had watched his mother get all giddy at this point. He tried to mimic what she had done.

He and Lila moved to the side of the stage as their part ended. Marinette came up behind them for her portion of the scene. Listening to her sing, the Phantom’s point of view hit him harder than ever before. Not only was it being sung with such skill and emotion, but he felt the words represented his own feeling for the one singing them.

It was a cry. A plea. Any hope of love was slipping away, and there was nothing to be done to stop it. Adrien wished he could find comfort in the fact that this character would eventually have a happy ending, but that wouldn’t happen. The Phantom ended up alone, unloved, in the dark. Like he would.

Clapping erupted as the scene concluded. “Great job, you three! You’ve really upped your acts. I knew you could do it. The final product will definitely be amazing. Now, let’s move on for a quick run through of the opening act just to keep it fresh in our minds.”

Everyone got into place for the Hannibal ballet. Adrien moved to join the dancers but was stopped by Lila.

“I’m so glad we are finally working better together. I think our parts are the best. They are most important.”

Clearly, this girl didn’t know what she was talking about, but Adrien didn’t correct her. He just wanted to get away from her. She either didn’t notice this or didn’t care because she stopped him once more.

“You know,” she said, blinking up at him in a flirtatious manner that made his stomach churn. “You can feel free to kiss me like it the original.”

Adrien gulped to keep down the gastric acid climbing his esophagus. The thought was absolutely revolting to him. He was so relieved Miss Bustier had explicitly stated that was to be cut. 

For once, he would earnestly do exactly what he was told.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Adrien pushed open the door to his room. It had been a long day. 

There had been an akuma attack in the middle of the night. It had been a long, grueling task to bring it down. When he finally got home, it had been time to prepare for an early Chinese lesson. At school, the day had gone normally. Practices after school were getting more demanding as the performance day neared.

The tactic of singing to Ladybug and Marinette alone helped him. It made his heart ache that he kept putting himself in that emotionally vulnerable place. This solidified his belief that he should just hide everything he was feeling. He fully intended to go back to that method once he no longer had to act.

He loved singing with Marinette. Or even just hearing her sing. It was strange for him to see her playing this broken, unmoral character. He was always the one who acted like that. She was the one who had was good and upbeat and did the right thing. He thought it might have been more fitting if the genders hadn’t been swapped so he could be the Phantom, and she could play Christine. Oh well. He didn’t make the decisions. The audience would just have to deal with Christopher and the Phantom instead.

As Adrien stepped into his room, he stopped abruptly. There on his couch sat Gabriel Agreste. That was odd. Usually, the man was busy working at this time. He must have something really important to say. Or he was super mad. Probably both. Neither was good.

Adrien wished he could turn around and leave, but it was too late for that. There was no way his father had missed the sound of his door opening. He knew the boy was there. There was no way for Adrien to escape him. He took a deep breath, pulled his shoulders back, lifted his head, and walked into the room.

Without even looking at the boy, Gabriel spoke. “Hello, Adrien.”

“Father.” Adrien cringed at a slight voice crack that escaped his throat. He hated how afraid he was of the man. He was his father. His presence should evoke love, not fear.

“I’m going to get straight to the point. I know you have been lying to me.”

Adrien’s heart stopped. There were so many things he hid from his father that he had no clue what the man could have found out. 

Adrien hid them all for a reason. No matter what Gabriel knew, it being discovered would not end well.

Adrien knew it was a risk, but he hoped if he played dumb it would slide over easier. Maybe he could lie about the lie and somehow cover it up. “I don’t know what you’re….”

“Don’t play the fool with me!” Gabriel screamed, standing up and taking a step towards his son. Adrien stepped back, but his father continued. “I know the truth. You are not at school as long as you say you are. Where are you going? I know you are with some girl.”

Oh. That’s what this was about. He had gone home with Marinette many more times. He had gotten more careless. He knew it had been foolish, but he thought it was worth it. He loved that bakery. He felt welcomed. He felt appreciated. He wasn’t tense with the Dupain-Cheng family. He could relax. Almost be happy. He felt more at home there than he did in his own house.

“Well?” his father shouted. “Who are you sneaking around with?”

Adrien knew he couldn’t just throw Marinette under the bus. She was too good to have his father after her. He didn’t know exactly what he would do to her, but it wouldn’t be pretty. Adrien decided to try a different evasive tactic – answering without actually answering.

“She’s just a friend from school.”

“You don’t have any friends.”

Wow, that one hurt. His father was technically right. If it wasn’t for Marinette, he wouldn’t have any friends. His father had made sure of that. He hung his head at the thought.

Adrien chose to provide more vague answers. That seemed like the safest option. He wasn’t seeing any better ones. Normally, he would just take his mouth shut or lash out and take the consequences, but it wasn’t just him who would be affected this time.

“We had a project together, and then she asked if we could hang out after it was finished,” He said. 

It wasn’t technically a lie. He was just omitting vital information

“And you couldn’t just say this in the first place?” Gabriel hissed. “Seriously, Adrien, you act as if I’m a monster.”

Adrien would have laughed at that if he wouldn’t have gotten smacked.

“Well, the fact that this girl has you sneaking around and attempting to deceive your superiors is proof she is a horrid influence,” Gabriel continued. “You don’t need any more of those. You have enough despicable traits as it is. You will cease all interactions with this girl.” He turned to leave.

When Adrien heard his father say Marinette was bad, something snapped inside him.

“Marinette is not a bad person!” he yelled. “She is the nicest person I have ever met. She full of love and brings out the best in people. And even if I wanted to stop seeing her, I couldn’t. We are in the play together.”

Gabriel scoffed. “Well, isn’t this just another reason why you never should have auditioned for that stupid school opera in the first place. Fine. You will see her as long as this play continues. I will not have the Agreste name more tainted by getting you branded a quitter as well as a failure. You will no longer see her outside of school, and you will stop interacting with her all together once this mess is over. Is that clear?”

The thought of losing Marinette was so overwhelming that Adrien couldn’t mentally handle it. He lashed out at his father. Screw the consequences. 

“I will not! I don’t care what it takes! I will see!”

Wham!

Adrien clutched his jaw, his father towering over him. Fuming, the man spoke through bared teeth. 

“You will do as you are told! I do not care if I have to lock you in this room and never let you out! You will not spend time with her! You will not even see her! If you do, there will be dire consequences for both you and that girl. You better believe I have the means to destroy any future that girl might have. Is that understood?”

As he looked up at his father, all the courage Adrien had mustered went out the window. He knew he was getting beat up no matter what he said, but his answer would determine how bad that beating was. In full self-preservation mode, Adrien chose the option that would help him now, even though it would have detrimental impacts on the long run. 

At least he could still see the girl as Ladybug. And know he prevented her from being harmed in some way by his father.

“I understand.”

“Good.”


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien needs a hug.
> 
> Also, I always watch the Royal Albert Hall (the live performance) version of the opera. Not the movie. Therefore, some songs have slightly altered words. This is one of those songs. So if you know the movie version, that's why the lyrics are slightly different. Just thought I would clarify.

“Hey, Adrien! Wait up!”

Adrien heard Marinette’s voice from behind him. Still walking, he glanced over his shoulder and saw she, Alya, and Nino were walking towards him. He was glad to see the trio had resolved whatever issue they had for a while and were spending all their time together once more. That would help Marinette since he wasn’t going to be able to sit with her anymore.

Marinette ran up to him, not taking the hint that she should leave him alone. “So, we were going to go see a movie after this. That new superhero movie that just came out. I was wondering if you wanted to come.”

Oh, how he wanted to go. He would love to sit and watch a movie with that sweet girl smiling at him. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her. Protecting her.  
He thought of accepting for a moment. Maybe he could get away with it. Screw the consequences. 

As he opened his mouth, he caught sight of his bodyguard watching him from outside the school. He gulped. He should have known his father would be keeping a closer eye on him. There was no way to escape the man. It was torturous.

He couldn’t have his father come after Marinette like he would if he continued to spend time with her.

Adrien plastered his indifferent façade back on. He had learned to take it down because of this girl, but it looked like it was coming back of permanently. 

“No.”

Marinette looked slightly disappointed but nodded in understanding. “Okay. I get it. You’re probably busy. Maybe we could go see something else another time.”

Man, that would be fantastic. But he couldn’t let her hold onto hope. Things weren’t going to get better for him. She might as well get pushed away now so she could move on. He was sure she would be just fine without him. She would forget he existed as soon as she could. He wouldn’t matter. He never did.

“Look, I know we have been spending a lot of time together, but I’ve come to see it has to stop. Once this whole Phantom of the Opera thing is over, we will go our separate ways as we have long before now.”

Marinette blinked and shook her head, trying to process what he was saying. “You have got to be joking, right?”

Adrien hated every bit of this. “No. I cannot be seen with you anymore.”

Marinette laughed in disbelief, searching his face for any sign of joking. “I… I can’t believe this. After everything, I thought you were getting over that whole bad guy, loner deal. Apparently, I was foolish to think that. Maybe you were right. You really aren’t the guy I thought you were. Maybe we shouldn’t be around each other.”

That was like a knife straight to the heart. What hurt Adrien even more was the look of total disappointment and sorrow on the girl’s face. Ever last bit of heart he had opened up for her shattered as she ran from him on the verge of tears.

He hated his father. He hated he had to do this to his Lady for her own good. He hated the world for always being against him. He was mad. He was fuming. He needed to let it out. He wanted to get in a fight. That would let him dissociate for a while.

He tried to pick a fight all day with countless people, but none of them would. Of course. The one day he wanted to fight, no one would let him. Figures.

He moped around for the rest of the day, wallowing in self-pity over his loss. He was not looking forward to practice that afternoon. He knew it would be awkward. 

And he was right.

Apparently, by the time practice started, the whole school knew he had upset Marinette. The whole time, people were tripping him and throwing insults his way. They were all very discreet, so the teachers didn’t notice. But it was enough to irritate and hinder him. Still, no one would outright fight him, which made him even more frustrated. All that happened was he got yelled at by the teachers for being disruptive. Like it was him doing the disruptive.

Marinette wouldn’t look at him. When the time came for them to rehearse their duet, she told the teacher she felt sick and left.

Adrien hated seeing her like this. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to help her through the hard times like she had with him. He wanted to show her she had changed him for the better. But he couldn’t.

He knew he was getting everything he deserved. He was a horrible person for letting this happen to her. To him. He should just be stronger. Less of a coward. He should just be someone else entirely. Then, he could stop his father. Or, dare he think it, his father would actually love him. But that wasn’t the case, so none of that could happen. So, he deserved everything the world had to throw at him.

As the practice neared its end, they performed Think of Me. Adrien had always liked this song. Like so many others, it reminded him of his mother. He considered it a sort of plea for her to watch over him. It gave him comfort imagining her listening to him. To thinking of him from a better place.

Today, he wasn’t singing it to her. He was singing it to the only girl he would ever love. The girl he had lost.

Think of me, think of me fondly,  
When we’ve said goodbye.  
Remember me, every so often.  
Promise me you’ll try.  
On that day, that not so distant day,  
When you were far away and free,  
If you ever find a moment,  
Spare a thought for me.

Adrien thought of how close he had just been to Marinette, but now they were so far apart. All he wanted in the world was to spend time with her. He would give anything to do so. To make sure she didn’t hate him, even though he earned that hatred.

And though it’s clear, though it was always clear,  
That this was never meant to be,  
If you happen to remember,  
Stop and think of me.

His love was futile. He had known deep down it all along. He had simply hoped for something good in his life for once. He should have known better. His life was full of pain, nothing else. Why should he have expected anything different?

Think of me, think of me waking,  
Silent and resigned.  
Imagine me trying too hard,  
To put you from my mind.  
Think of me, please say you’ll think of me.  
Whate’r it is you choose to do,  
There will never be a day when I won’t think of you.

Adrien had to fight back tears as he felt his world shatter farther, thinking of how she would surely be over him in a matter of days while he would think of her forever. And eventually, the same thing would happen with Ladybug.

Why did the world hate him so much? He couldn’t wait to leave and start anew.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally everyone needs a hug at this point. But it's okay. They give each other one.
> 
> I promise this thing has a happy ending. I really do.

Adrien heard faint, distant screams. He ran to his window and spotted people ditching their cars in the afternoon traffic and taking off on foot.

“That doesn’t look good,” Adrien stated. “Plagg?”

The kwami groaned as he rose groggily from Adrien’s bed. “But I need my nap. No one can function without beauty sleep.”

“Well, that’ll just have to wait.” He beckoned the black kwami into his ring and sprung out his window.

There was a monstrous robot storming the streets. It was eating anything metal it could get its hands on. At first, Chat thought it was trying to grow by fueling itself. As he observed further, he realized the robot wasn’t growing. It was just eating. Well, at least that would make his current job easier. He was sure he would find out the purpose of eating later.

He glanced around but didn’t see Ladybug yet. He decided to go ahead and attack. She would help when she got there. He leapt towards the machine.

“Hey, Clanky!” he called. “You should really change your diet. Maybe eating some fruits and vegetable could help your attitude.”

The robot turned towards the hero who had caught its attention. It choppily repositioned itself to face him. Chat made a mental note of how it couldn’t move quickly or smoothly. There was no way it could make sharp turns or dodge things with all those gears. 

Gradually, it opened its mouth. Chat thought it was going to speak, but it didn’t. It shot large metal spikes from the back of its throat. So that’s what all the metal was for. Chat did a series of flips to avoid the incoming projectiles.

The machine stomped towards him, shooting as it went. Chat ran from the busy streets to a more secluded location. He hoped to draw the robot away from as many people as possible. He spotted a park and ran into it. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be much metal in here. If he was lucky, the robot would run out of ammo.

A red blur started running beside him. 

“I was wondering when you would show up, My Lady,” he said. “Don’t worry. I saved plenty of fun for you.”

She didn’t respond. She hadn’t been as talkative on the past few patrols either. Chat knew it was because of him. Technically because of Adrien. He wished he could fix it. Make it all better. But he couldn’t. All he could do was show support as Chat Noir.

Another wave of metal shot towards them, and they ducked behind a tree to avoid being hit.

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo. “Lucky charm!” she cried throwing it into the air.

Well that was odd. They usually used their powers as a last resort. They tried all alternatives before calling on their miraculous.

A small metal rod dropped into Ladybug’s palm. She looked from the rod to the robot and back to the rod. After a few second, she mumbled, “Screw this.” Chat watched in horror as she carelessly flung the rod to the side and charged straight at the akuma.

Ladybug flung her yo-yo around the robot’s legs to trip it up. Great plan. It worked in the movies, why not in real life. Unfortunately, the robot caught onto her plan and yanked the string, sending her flying through the air. Chat ran to her, picking up the rod as he went.

“You know, I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but you should really think things through,” he said.

“I’m not in the mood,” she stated flatly. She stood to attack the akuma victim once more.

Chat stopped her. “That doesn’t matter. This is dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Ladybug shrugged him off and charged at their opponent again. Well, looked like Chat was going to have to do this one on his own. He watched the scene, looking for any way a rod could be of use. He was never good with stuff like this. Ladybug was the one who formulated these plans.

He hated he had sent her into this careless mindset. He understood what she was doing. He did it himself. She got hurt, so she pulled back from everyone. She became reckless and charged into dangerous situations to feel something else. It wasn’t a good coping mechanism. It led to all kinds of problems down the road. He would know. But it wasn’t too late for her to turn back from this. He would have a talk with her after this fight was over.

Watching the robot fight Ladybug, Chat saw the same flaw he noticed earlier. The gears. He looked between the rod in his hands and the gears churning away. Hoping his plan would work, he sprinted to the machine and jammed the rod between some vital looking gears where a heart would be. Just as he had hoped, the robot became incapacitated.

Chat turned to Ladybug. “Any clue where the akuma is?”

Ladybug shrugged. “Just cataclysm it.”

Chat summoned his power and touched the machine, causing it to crumble and reveal a lady inside. Ladybug caught the akuma and purified it. She walked over and picked up her lucky charm. Throwing it into the air, she set everything back to its original state.

As the woman became aware of her surrounding, she started spluttering in confusion. Chat waited for Ladybug to talk to her like always, but he realized she wasn’t there. She was walking off. He quickly helped the lady to her feet, assuring her everything would be okay. He wasn’t sure what else to say. He was bad at this. That’s why he let Ladybug handle it.

Once the akuma victim seemed somewhat stable, Chat sprinted after Ladybug. “Wait up,” he called.

“Not now, Chat Noir.”

Chat felt like his insides were being crushed. He had already lost Marinette. The only thing keeping him going was knowing he still had his Lady. But now he was losing her too. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let her wallow. He couldn’t let her descend into this never ending cycle of misery just as he had over the years. Not only did all of Paris need her mentally stable, but he needed her too. He refused to lose her like this. Not when he could still do something.

Maybe he couldn’t help her as Adrien, but his father couldn’t stop him from spending time with her as Chat Noir. He could be there for her and comfort her that way. He still wasn’t good at that at it, but he had to at least try. For the girl he loved’s sake.

Chat gently grasped Ladybug’s arm. He spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster. 

“Look. I can tell you’re going through a rough patch. And I know when I’m like this, you leave me be. But you aren’t me. This doesn’t suit you.”

He turned her to try and force her to look at him, but she yanked away from him. “I don’t need your help, Chat Noir. I can handle it fine on my own.”

Something broke inside of him. All the loneliness. All the betrayal. All the pain. It all flooded his mind, overwhelming him to his very core. He was watching the only reason he had to stay here walk away from him, heading down the same dark path he had been on for years. 

Tears streaked down his face as he screamed after her. “You don’t get it! No one ever does!”

Ladybug spun to face him, eyes wide at his sudden outburst. She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off.

“You don’t need to go through this alone! No on ever should go through things alone! It’s stupid and pointless and painful and nothing good ever comes from it! I know that! I know that more than anyone could ever know! Everyone hates me! Everyone leaves me! I am completely alone! And it sucks! It really sucks! I hate it! I hate my life! But I can’t change it!”

Ladybug had walked over to him now, tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. He grasped for her hand to pull her closer to him. He was sobbing at this point. He continued through his tears, but his words were much quieter now.

“But you can. You have friends. You have people who care about you. You have me. I know what it’s like to push people away because you’re hurting. Because you’re scared of getting hurt again. Well, I promise you, I won’t hurt you. I am with you to the end. I will always be here, no matter what. No matter how hard you try and shove me out of your life, I will fight for you. I will keep coming back. I don’t care. I will always be here for you. Even if you hate me. Even if you shove me away. I will support and look out for you from afar. If you ever need anything. Anything at all. Just let me know. Because you shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Please, Ladybug. Please don’t be like me. You don’t want to be like me. Just let it out. Tell people what’s going on. Let yourself get help. Don’t do this to yourself.”

Ladybug didn’t move. She stayed still for so long he grew convinced she wasn’t going to respond. He was about to walk away when she suddenly encompassed him, beginning to sob herself.

With barely a moment’s hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body closer to his. He laid his cheek on the top of her head. He had this instinct to kiss her forehead, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. That would just be weird. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. 

They stayed like that for a while. Chat didn’t care how long they stood there. He would gladly hold her for the rest of his days if that’s what she wanted. If that would help her.

Her miraculous beeped in warning. She didn’t have long before she turned back.

Slowly, she pulled away. She wiped tears from her face with the back of her wrist, sniffling as she did so. “I guess that’s my cue to leave,” she said softly.

“I guess so.”

“Thank you, Chatton. That meant a lot. And I promise I’ll work on it. I won't be like this again.”

“No problem, My Lady. Anything for you.”

Ladybug turned and spoke over her shoulder. “You know, you’re very good at giving advice. You should really learn to listen to yourself.”

She darted out of sight, leaving Chat Noir to process everything on his own.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Marinette gradually became more herself. Adrien was glad to see that. He was glad she had listened to him and found a better way to handle everything. 

Unfortunately, they practically ignored each other throughout the day. They were able to interact fine in practices though. He still used his method of singing to her, which phenomenally fueled his performance. 

Even though she was acting a lot better, he could tell she was still hurting quite a bit. Marinette seemed to have picked up the same method of singing from her point of view. Every time she sang of the Phantom’s loneliness, she sung with such emotion there was no way it was simply acting. At least it was another way to let her emotions out.

The final track was hard. It was so emotional between their two characters. He sang his lines of grievance and pity for the Phantom’s pain. His character still cared for hers deep down but had to leave and follow his heart. The Phantom, who had kidnapped his character to try and force them together forever, allows the departure even though it’s painful.

Adrien sang of his pity for Marinette’s loneliness and how he wished he could help. He completely zoned out Lila, who was there singing her part. He hoped Marinette could see that he was singing to her, but he doubted it. She probably wouldn’t believe him even if she did.

Outside of practice, he would secretly watch her from afar. She seemed to return to her normal patterns. She spent most of her free time with Alya and Nino. Adrien was glad she had them. He wished he could thank them for being there for her when he couldn’t.

As Chat Noir, he continued to support Ladybug. After that robot incident, she reverted to her cautious, rational ways. He was glad to see this. He didn’t know what he would have done if she continued to act in that ridiculous manner. She became more talkative once again, gaining confidence and energy as she moved past her hurt feelings.

One night on patrol, she opened up to him.

“Chat Noir,” she said. “Thank you for always being here for me. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for you.”

He shrugged. “Don’t mention it. You’ve always done the same for me. Glad I could return it.”

“I envy you, you know.”

Chat looked at her wide eyed. Why on earth would this perfect girl envy him? She continued with her explanation.

“Don’t get me wrong. I know you said you were alone and held everything inside, and that’s not good. You should really fix that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I envy the way you manage to still get through it and help others in the process. You’re down for a few days and then bam. Back to normal. I don’t know how to do that. I’m trying. I really am. But I can’t seem to get on top of it.”

“Are you crazy?” he replied. “I’m never on top of anything. I have no ability to cope in a good way. Like I said. I can’t talk to people. They don’t listen to me if I try. So I do stupid things. If you saw the person I am and the things I do without this mask….”

“But I do. I see how you persevere no matter what you’re going through. I’ve seen you injured or down enough times to know you can push through anything. Something as trivial as the guy I like ditching me happens, and I lose my mind. You saw how I was with that robot akuma. I just….”

“Wait. Backtrack. What?” Did she just say the guy she like ditched her? He thought this was over him. That couldn’t be him, though. No way. She couldn’t possibly have feelings for him. She deserved so much more. She could have any guy in the world. She wouldn’t pick him. Besides, she had laughed at the thought of liking him when they were first assigned the project together. Sure, he had changed, but she had no reason to.

Whoever this guy was, Chat was going to kick his butt and make him come to his senses. His Lady deserved to be happy, and this guy wouldn’t stand in the way of that. Even if it meant he had to completely give up what little hope he clung to of one day being with Ladybug, he would do it for her.

“I know, it’s stupid. But you don’t know this guy,” Ladybug said. “He pretends to be all tough and mean and uncaring, but he is actually a sensitive, nice guy. He just goes through a lot. But he was changing into someone better. He helped me even though it didn’t help him in any way. And whenever we hung out, it was fun. It took my mind off the pressures in my life. And when he sings, oh, it’s the most beautiful thing you have ever heard. He has a voice just like his mother had.”

Oh my goodness! She was talking about him! There was no way that wasn’t him. She liked him. She! Liked! Him! How was this possible. She had described the exact way he felt about her. How on earth could she return his feelings? He didn’t know what to say.

“Anyway,” she continued. “It was stupid to think we could ever be together. He chose to go back to his old, fake ways and have nothing to do with me anymore. And it really hurt, you know? Like, why would he do that? It makes no sense.”

Chat didn’t know how to think about all this. He did, however, see an opportunity to make her not hate him. Maybe he couldn’t be her friend as Adrien, but at least she would see he had cared for her. It might also cheer her up. 

“Maybe there was something else going on behind the scenes.”

Ladybug looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

Chat thought over how to word it. He couldn’t give away too much, or he would reveal his identity. He didn’t want that. He couldn’t take the risks that came with it.

“Maybe he didn’t want to. People usually pull away for a reason. Like you did after this guy hurt you. Maybe someone or something is hurting him. Or he thinks it will be better for both of you if he stays away. Maybe him pushing you away was his way of keeping you from getting hurt, even though he accidently did so anyway.”

Ladybug’s face scrunched as she contemplated his words. “Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

They continued on their route for a while, not speaking. Ladybug was clearly still pondering Chat’s words, and he didn’t want to bother her. He would let her sort through everything on her own terms in her own time. As their time together concluded, she turned to him, voicing the question she had been pondering.

“Chatton?”

“Yes, My Lady?”

“If what you say is true, and this guy really doesn’t hate me and he’s doing this for good reason, do you think he could have ever liked me?”

Chat felt his heart melt. She had no idea. 

“I’d almost count on it,” he replied. “Anyone would be crazy to not fall head-over-heels for someone like you.” He nudged her playfully.

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Chat Noir. You’ve helped me a lot.” She wrapped her arms around him, but she pulled back before he could do so in return. “See you round.”

Chat scampered home, processing what was just disclosed to him. 

The girl he loved shared his feelings. He didn’t know what she saw in him, but she saw something. Against all odds, their feelings were mutual. If only there was a way he could be with her. Maybe his father would miraculously let them be together. He doubted it, but stranger things had happened.

Adrien detransformed once inside his room. Plagg flew out of the ring and stopped in front of his face.

The kwami mockingly spoke in a high, girly voice. “Oh, Adrien is so amazing. I love him so.” He changed his voice to a deep, manly one. “He is. He is a dark soul. You must keep holding onto your love for him. He loves you too.” His voice went high again. “Oh, thank you for all you’ve shown me. I think I love you too, Chat Noir.”

Adrien threw a pillow at the floating kwami. “Shut up. That’s not how it went, and you know it.”

“Maybe not in reality, but in your delusional, teenage boy brain it is.”

“I will let you starve.”


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun.
> 
> Here we are. Finally setting up the climax. Are you ready?
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Marinette seemed more comfortable with Adrien after that. What he said as Chat Noir must have changed her mindset towards him.

Every time he saw her, he became overwhelmed by the fact she liked him too. It brought him joy. He hadn’t felt this good in as long as he could remember. It ebbed over into all aspects of his life. Everything seemed a little more bearable when he knew someone cared.

People started to notice. His instructors and photographers pointed out how good of a mood he was in. Natalie commented on his improved behavior. Even his father picked up on it. Gabriel interrogated him on multiple occasions as to why. The man was sure it had to do with the girl. Adrien made extra sure not to get near her outside of the play so his father wouldn’t see even a hint of the two interacting. Better safe than sorry.

Adrien grew more nervous about performing. He thought he would be immune to the nerves due to his modeling career, but apparently not. This was different. This was live, not just photographs. At least he was comfortable with acting under a fake persona.

More than anything, he wanted to honor his mother’s memory. He wanted to remind the world of how great she was. That she still lived on.

Today was the dress rehearsal. Everyone would officially don their costumes and participate in a complete run through of the program. Everyone was nervous. Adrien was glad they were doing this though. It would give everyone a feel for the real deal, but this was lower stakes. They could learn where they needed to be careful of slip ups, and then avoid them.

Adrien loved being in costume. There was something comforting about it. He didn’t know if this was due to his modeling or his time spent as Chat Noir. Probably both. Whatever reason, he felt like he could relax and let the new persona he donned take over.

“It’s kinda scary, isn’t it?”

Adrien turned to see Marinette looking out at the stage. She looked fantastic in her all black outfit. He looked around to see who she was talking to. When he saw no one, he realized she was talking to him.

For the first time since their conflict, she was actually talking to him. The thought made Adrien’s heart skip a beat. Maybe there really was hope for them. They were already beating the odds and being forced together in so many scenarios. At least, they could one day be friends when he was no longer controlled by his father. He wished it could be that way now, but he was just thinking realistically. He just hoped his father wasn’t somehow spying on them now.

“Yeah, it is,” he replied. “I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. You do great at everything you face.

“Thanks. I’ve never done anything like this before though.”

“Could have fooled me. You’re a natural at acting.”

“I just feed off you. You’re the natural.”

“I guess it’s just mutual.”

The two fell silent, waiting for their cues to start. Adrien was glad Marinette didn’t walk away. He missed her presence. He knew he got it in superhero form, but that was different. They were always focused on other things. Here, they were still united towards a common goal, but it wasn’t as threatening. They could stay somewhat relaxed.

He dreaded these practices ending. He would no longer have an excuse to be near her. He was sure his father would grow stricter over his time and who he spent time with. The thought made him sick to his stomach, but he didn’t know any way around it. He was too weak when it came to his father.

Suddenly, there was a commotion farther backstage. Both heroes turned, listening as the drama unfolded.

“I don’t understand!” one of the dancers yelled. “She and I do the same part, but she gets more recognition?”

“Look, we understand you are upset, but we could only choose one of you.”

“I’m the better dancer! Everyone knows it. If either of us should get more attention, it should be me. She doesn’t even want to be a professional dancer!”

“Unfortunately, that is not what the school board looked at. Alyssa’s family made a considerable contribution to fund this play.”

“So, you would rather make more money than help me get into dancing school?”

“I don’t make the rules. I just do what I’m told.”

Adrien and Marinette watched as a sobbing girl dressed in the ballet dress and headpiece darted past them. Marinette looked like she was about to pursue and console the dancer, but the teachers called everyone to their places. The show must go on. Everyone temporarily forgot about the incident. 

At least until the auditorium doors were kicked open.

Ignoring the screaming and running that surrounded him, Adrien turned to the source. A girl wearing what looked like a distorted version of the dancer outfit strode through the door. She had a crown on her head and what looked like jewels in her hands.

“I am Queen Twirl. You have denied me my right to be number one. Now, you will all be my subjects, dancing in the background.”

She started throwing her jewels at the students huddled throughout the room. Whenever it hit one, they morphed into the same outfit Queen Twirl wore. They would gracefully dance to her, awaiting her commands.

Everyone ran for the exits. Somehow, Queen Twirl managed to lock them all except the one she came through, which was being blocked by her followers.

“You will not escape me. You will all be my minions. And when I have converted you all, I will take over all of Paris. All will see I am number one. All will recognize my greatness.”

She continued to go through everyone in the room, one by one converting them. Adrien watched in horror as she drew nearer to Marinette. The raven-haired girl was looking around frantically for somewhere to transform. It would be detrimental for her to reveal herself as her alter ego. She was the one to be protected. If Hawkmoth discovered his number one threat’s identity, it would be a disaster.

Adrien’s pulse quickened as Queen Twirl got nearer to her. He knew Ladybug had to be the one to release the akuma. If she was turned into one of Queen Twirl’s followers, there would be no way for her to do that. They would be doomed. But to avoid that, the Queen had to be distracted and drawn away and allow Marinette’s escape.

Adrien searched for a way to do this. He was running out of time. As he saw the look of terror on Marinette’s face, he knew he had to act. There was only one thing he could think of. It petrified him, but he fought every instinct in his being, shouting at him to stop.

He stood tall, wanting to feign confidence. “Hey, Queen. You want a miraculous for your boss?”

Queen Twirl spun to face him. “And how exactly would you help me with that?”

Adrien took a deep breath. “Like this. Plagg! Claws out!”


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Adrien felt the magic rush over him, empowering him to fight the akumatized dancer. He heard the gasps and murmurs of everyone who saw. Flashes littered the room as people who were still unturned took pictures of the outed superhero. Chat zoned it all out. It didn’t matter at the moment. Those consequences were for latter. Right now, his only focus was helping Ladybug.

“Come and get me, Sparkle hands!” he shouted.

He took off running for the single, unlocked door. He easily shoved through the few minions who were blocking the escape. He didn’t even turn to see if Queen Twirl was following. He knew she was. No one would give up that opportunity. Besides, Hawkmoth would be screaming at her to follow him.

He heard a whizzing sound and dodged a jewel aimed at his head. He kept running. He had to lead her away. He flipped and ducked and spun to prevent himself from being hit.

“You know, if you keep this up, I might just become the King of Spins. Get it? Cause you’re the….”

“Shut up and let me catch you!” the Queen screeched.

“Ummmm, how about no.”

Chat kept running and dodging through the streets of Paris, the villain hot on his trail. He took a sharp turn and barely managed to stop before hitting a wall. It was a dead end. He went to climb the wall but realized there was some sort of barbed wire preventing this. He really should have paid more attention. He had run straight to the part of the city where stuff like this was everywhere.

He spun around to escape the way he had come, but Queen Twirl blocked his path. A herd of her dancing minions followed suit.

“You will give me your miraculous. Now!” She stormed towards him, further corning the hero.

Chat looked around for a way out. Why was Ladybug taking so long? He hoped she was okay. Was she not able to make it out unnoticed? Whatever the reason, he had to buy her more time. He couldn’t take out the akuma on his own.

When his back hit the wall, he really started to panic. He couldn’t let the Queen get his miraculous. That would be catastrophic. She would give it to Hawkmoth, and all this time of fighting would be in vain.

He knew he couldn’t fight all of them off. He was a good fighter, but not that good. He needed a way to keep her from being able to get the miraculous. He spotted the jewels in her hand. If he was transformed, the ring would disappear. She wouldn’t be able to get it if it wasn’t there. She would probably try to get it anyway, wasting a considerable amount of time in the process. That would buy Ladybug the time she needed. Once she took down the Queen, she would return everything to normal, and Chat would be himself again.

Chat sprinted towards Queen Twirl, taking her by surprise. She took a step back, thinking he was attacking her. Chat reached for her hand and grabbed one of the jewels. Immediately, his head started spinning. He saw stars. His mind slowly slipped away from him as he descended into dark unconsciousness.

Blinding light.

As Chat regained consciousness, he realized he was lying on the ground. Why was he asleep on the ground and not in his bed? There was a breeze passing over him. That was odd. He felt someone walking over to him, stopping right behind him. Oh joy. It was probably Natalie coming to drag him somewhere. How wonderful. He attempted to rub the weariness out of his eyes, but his hand was stopped by a mask. Strange. He only wore physical masks as Chat Noir….

He bolted upright, the memories of what had happened washing over him. Queen Twirl. Being transformed. His identity being revealed. Ohhhh this was not going to be good.

“Chat Noir. Are you okay?”

He turned to see Ladybug standing over him. Thank goodness she was okay. She must have defeated the akuma and reverted everything. Good for her. He knew she would save everyone. 

She was looking down at him with an I-don’t-know-what-to-think-so-I’ll-just-not-think-anything-until-I-can-mentally-process-what-just-happened expression. That was understandable. He wouldn’t know what to think either.

“Hey, princess,” he said, his voice rough from being unconscious. “Great job stopping her.”

“Thanks. It wasn’t too hard. You did all the hard parts. I just had to sneak up on her while she was trying to get the miraculous from you. Then, I only had to break her headpiece to free the akuma.”

“Ahhh, yeah. Headpiece. Smart.” They fell silent. 

Chat grew anxious. He didn’t know what she would think of him now that his identity was revealed. Knowing his luck, he would probably lose her for good. Both sides of her. Fantastic. Just what he needed in life. And right when he was beginning to have hope things would work out. Standing up, he prepared to run just to avoid the emotional conflict he was sure would unfold.

Before he could leave, Ladybug spoke. “Why did you do that?”

Welp, too late. He shrugged, his back still to the spotted hero. “To buy you time. I knew you would have no problem taking her out on her own, but I knew she couldn’t get the miraculous. Best option was to let her transform me.”

“Chat. I know that. That’s not what I was talking about, and you know it.”

He sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Chat, this is going to make things very complicated for you. This is going to blow up on the news. The internet. Everything. Everyone is going to be talking about Chat Noir’s big reveal. And there are a lot of people out there who are going to be rude and pissed and throw hate at you. Many people will be mad when they see who their hero is. Not to mention the fact that Hawkmoth will find out who you are. This could end really badly.”

“I know. Believe me, I do. But I didn’t see an alternative. I didn’t have enough time to think of anything else.”

“You could have just waited for me to show up.”

Chat spun around to face her. “I saw the look on your face. You couldn’t have gotten away unnoticed either.”

Ladybug’s eyes grew wide. “Wait. How did you….”

“I know it’s you, Marinette. I’ve known for a while.”

She gawked at him. She looked like she was trying to form words, but none ever came out. Finally, she managed to form a sentence. “Is that why you pushed me away as Marinette? Because you didn’t want to mix up our civilian and partner relationships?”

Chat shook his head. “I knew before that. It had nothing to do with that. It’s just… complicated.”

“So, all this time, you’ve known who I am?”

“Yup.”

Ladybug’s face turned crimson as a realization hit her. “And whenever I would talk to you as Ladybug about… civilian matters….”

“I knew you were talking about me. Yes.” He walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Look. I’m sorry I hid this from you. I was… I was scared. Of losing you when you saw who I was. And I pushed you away cause I had to protect you. I know that doesn’t make sense. I mean, you’re you, and I’m just me. But believe me. Things could go badly for you if I didn’t do what I did.”

“Just tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help.”

“No. I don’t want to drag you into this. I care too much about you to let you get hurt.”

“You’ve said over and over that I need to open up to people. Now it’s your turn. I’m here to listen. Tell me.”

Chat sighed. “I know. I know I should. And I promise it will all come out eventually. But right now, I need you to trust me. There are more pressing matters to deal with.”

Ladybug did not seem to like this answer. She wanted to push the subject. But she didn’t.

“Okay,” she said. She paused for a moment before smiling at him. “You know, I always told you you were good deep down.” She turned to exit the dead-end alley. “Come on. We should get back. There’s a lot we have to do.”


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did update a little early for you poor souls so desperate for more.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

By the time they reached the school, press had surrounded the building. Chat assumed someone inside the school had posted his reveal online. Naturally, no reporter would pass their shot at such a big story. Adrien was used to press, but this was excessive. It was going to be chaotic.

“You should probably detransform and sneak through the back door,” he said to Ladybug. “Wouldn’t want your identity coming out too.”

“Good luck, Chatton,” she replied before bounding off as instructed.

Chat took a deep breath and jumped to the ground. Immediately, he was swarmed by people. Lights flashed so rapidly they should have been accompanied by an epilepsy warning. People were screaming at him from all around. He wanted to run and hide, but he knew that wasn’t an option. They would just follow him

Putting on his press face, he took a deep breath and stood tall. Forcing his way through the crowd, he made his way to the school steps. He walked slowly, formulating what he should say when addressing the reporters. Through the school windows, he saw the faces of students inside peering out at him. He knew it was too late for him to be saved from the masses, but it wasn’t for them. Once he was where everyone could see him, he turned to face the crowd. Clearing his throat, he began to speak in the formal way he learned from his father interacting with reporters.

“I know you are all very interested in what has unfolded today, but I would like to be very clear. You should let everyone else involved mind their own business. They are in the same boat as all of you and are trying to cope with being attacked. They should be left alone. Now.” 

He let his suit fall away, revealing his Adrien self. It felt slightly liberating. All of his facades were merging into one person. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant for him. He wasn’t sure who would be left. But he was excited to find out. Even though it was terrifying and he was sure bad things would come from it.

He took a deep breath. “Go ahead and take your shots at me.”

“How did you become Chat Noir?”

“How do you balance this with your school and career?”

“Do you know who Ladybug is? Will she now reveal herself as well?”

“Why would someone known for his rebellious and violent nature decide to be a hero?”

Adrien answered their questions to the best of his abilities. If necessary, he would respond with vague answers so he wouldn’t give away anything crucial, but he gave just enough so they would stop asking him. Some reporters got too excited and asked questions he ignored. They didn’t know what they were talking about.

After some time, a majority of the reporters had left. Thank goodness. One young man who had been in the back finally managed to reach the front. He held out his microphone to the boy.

“How does your father, Gabriel Agreste, feel about his son being a superhero?”

The question brought his world to a screeching halt. His father. He had completely forgotten about his father. He could be sure of one thing. The man would not approve. Adrien felt a tinge of relief as he remembered there had been an emergency with the Agreste brand in New York. A plane had been scheduled, and his father would have been leaving for the airport around the time of the akuma. There was no doubt he would try to force him to stop being a hero when he returned home. Adrien would lose the sole part of his life he had complete control over. And he couldn’t stop it. He had reached his point of no return, facing his greatest threat and knowing he would lose everything because of it.

Adrien felt completely overwhelmed. He felt like he was being suffocated. Without any conscious decision, he could feel his composure slipping away from him. He couldn’t let them see how terrified he was. What would Paris think if they realized how weak and cowardly their hero was? Especially when it came to his own family?

He started backing towards the door. “That’s all the questions I will answer today. My teachers will be waiting on me.”

He turned, ignoring people’s cries for him to wait, and pushed through the school doors. The students and teachers were no longer at the entrance. Adrien was glad of that. It gave him a few moments to himself to regain composure. He heard them continuing their practice, so he headed towards the auditorium.

Once inside, he saw the girl who had been akumatized sitting in the center of the room. She had curled herself into a ball as if she was trying to escape the world. He could imagine it must be pretty embarrassing and hard to process. He was grateful the teachers were letting her sit the practice out.

He walked over and sat down beside her. “How are you holding up?” he whispered.

Startled by his sneaky arrival, the girl jumped in her seat. When she realized who had asked, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “I-I’m okay,” she whispered.

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

They turned to watch the practice. Adrien was glad only the stage lights were on. The two teens were able to sit in complete darkness. No one paid attention to them. No one would see their faces unless they were actively looking for them. He decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted, knowing he would probably be bombarded every time he walked out that door for a while.

“Hey, Adrien?”

He continued to look straight ahead as he replied. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for stopping me.”

He shrugged. “No problem. It’s what I do.”

“I don’t know how it got so out of hand. I just got so mad, you know. All my hard work was pushed aside. I just wanted people to see what I can do, you know?”

“Yeah. I do. Believe me. I understand how quickly anger gets out of hand. I see it all the time.” Adrien felt a shudder rush down his spine at the thought of his father’s anger. He was not looking forward to the man’s return home.

“I’m sorry I forced you to reveal your identity.”

“Eh. It would have come out eventually anyway.” He knew that it wouldn’t have been for a long time, if ever. But he wasn’t going to tell her that. He didn’t want to make her feel worse.

“So, are you gonna drop the act now and start being a decent human being at school now?”

Adrien laughed. A true, heart-felt laugh. The kind he hadn’t had in a while. The girl’s comment was so blunt with honesty it was amusing. “Maybe. Depends on if other people are decent humans back.”

The girl chuckled. “Fair point. I mean, if all else fails you can just shove your ring in their faces. I’m sure they’ll back off then.”

“Oh yeah. I’ll just set my kwami on them. Big, magic, flying bug will scare them all away.”

“Heyyyyyy!” Plagg zipped out of his jacket. “I will not meddle in your stupid teen matters.”

Adrien stuck his tongue out at him. “I have the ring. I can make you.”

Plagg huffed, pulled cheese out of his human’s jacket, and flew off into the darkness to sulk. The girl was chuckling beside them. “He’s so cute,” she said.

“He’s a butthole,” Adrien corrected.

“I heard that!” Plaggs voice screeched through the darkness.

“Shut up and eat your cheese!”

“Mister Agreste!” Miss Bustier was standing on the stage staring at him. Everyone was staring at him, actually. His teacher continued. “If you are done, why don’t you come and join us. After all, it is becoming quite difficult to practice without our lead.”

Adrien rose from his seat. He nodded to the girl who waved back at him. He continued onto the stage. Everyone was looking at him differently, but no one said anything. He didn’t know if they were doing this on their own or had been instructed to do so. Probably the latter. He appreciated it anyway. He could at least pretend everything was normal for a brief time.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands together. “Alright let us continue. Start up the music.”

As the music started to play, Adrien and Marinette got into their positioned. Marinette smiled up at him, and he let his troubles fade away. He didn’t have to worry over what was going to happen to him. All he had to do was focus on the girl in front of him and immerse himself in the world of music.

Past the point of no return,  
No turning back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for clarification, Hawkmoth akumatized the girl before he left for the airport. But he had to leave right after, to that's why he hasn't done anything yet. Just thought I would spell that out for everybody so no one would be confused.
> 
> But he will be back for the final chapters. So get ready for the conclusion!
> 
> Can't wait for you guys to read the ending!


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per request, here are the titles of the songs quoted. It is just snip-its of each song. Only the parts that fit in with the story.
> 
> The Mirror(Angel of Music)  
> The Music of the Night  
> Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer
> 
> So close to the end! Hope you enjoy!

Adrien tried to go about his life as normal. That was impossible. To his utmost dismay, the press hounded him everywhere. He couldn’t step outside without a light flashing in his face or someone screaming at him.

School was quite different. He had grown accustomed to being ignored apart from confrontation. Now, he was constantly on edge because people would approach him and try to act super friendly. He hated it. They were all fake. They didn’t actually want to be friends with Adrien. They wanted to reap the benefits of being friends with Chat Noir. Adrien basically hid alone as much as possible.

Due to his reveal – and some convincing from a certain pig-tailed girl – Adrien tried to work on his demeanor. It was strange and uncomfortable. He felt secure when he was being inhospitable, sarcastic, cocky, and indifferent. Unfortunately, that did not make for a good role model. And as Marinette so kindly kept reminding him, the entirety of Paris was watching him, so he had to set a good example.

He felt out of control. He hated being out of control. Normally, he would go out as Chat Noir to help him gain some of that back. He tried it once. It made it worse. He hadn’t gone out as Chat Noir since. Thankfully, he hadn’t had to. He was not looking forward to the next akuma attack.

His main source of calm through all of it was Marinette. With her by his side, he knew they could conquer anything. He was still very cautious about how much time they spent together. Even though his father was away, Adrien was sure he was watching all his moves. 

He was sure the man already knew about his revelation. He was almost surprised his father hadn’t come back sooner to take care of the whole situation. Almost. Adrien had never taken precedence in the man’s life. He only paid attention to his son when it benefitted him in some way. And Adrien couldn’t think of a way this would benefit him.

After months of preparation, the day of the play finally arrived. For the first time, people were being turned down from Lycee Francoise Dupont because there weren’t enough seats in the auditorium. Who would give up the opportunity to see the son of Emelie Agreste, who was also the famous Chat Noir, perform? Adrien rolled his eyes at the thought.

As he looked out at the crowd, his heart pounded in his ears. He started to doubt whether he could do this. Then, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder. His Lady, his hero, his rock was standing beside him. Smiling up at him. He knew they would do just fine. Together.

Once the music started, Adrien was unaware of anything else. All the listening, practicing, and placing himself into this world paid off. He and Marinette continued to feed off each other, their partnership no longer hindered in any way.

He sung his heart out, meaning the lyrics he spoke. She was his angel in the darkness of his life. The protector of his mind, heart, and life.

Angel! I hear you speak.  
I listen.  
Stay by my side.  
Guide me.

Now, Adrien could hear Marinette singing to him as well. Calling him out of his old, lonely, dark life into a new life with her.

Let your mind start a journey,  
Through a strange new world.  
Leave all thoughts of the life,  
You knew before.  
Let your soul take you where you long to be.

As the show reached its conclusion, the audience fell silent at the power with which they sang to each other. Adrien thought of himself as he sang of the darkness in which the Phantom lived. He thought of the monsters he faced on a daily basis – literally and figuratively. 

Looking into Marinette’s eyes, he thought of how she had seen in him something no one else had. She had stuck by him. She had forced him to think and act differently. She had cared when no one else would. She looked beyond his façade and saw he needed help.

She gave him a reason to be good. A reason to triumph over all the hardship in his life. To persevere in his pursuit of a brighter future.

He uttered the line that perfectly summed up how she had thought and acted towards him, bringing them to this point.

Pitiful creature of darkness,  
What kind of life have you known?  
God, give me courage to show you,  
You are not alone.

Adrien knew it was taken out of the script. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do it. But he didn’t care. He had done what he was told not to for so long, one more moment couldn’t hurt. And looking at the girl he loved, overwhelmed by emotion, he couldn’t have cared if it did.

He kissed her.

It wasn’t some super spectacular moment. She was completely taken aback by the display of affection. Honestly, he was surprised by his actions too. There were no sparks or magic shooting everywhere. It wasn’t some overly romantic spectacle. It couldn’t be. They were in the middle of an act. But the faint smile on Marinette’s lips gave him hope that he would have the opportunity to give her more one day.

Their final words to each other came, and he felt as if they were making a promise to one another. One he fully intended to keep. After all, they were connected. They were two halves of the same whole.

Say you’ll share with me,  
One love,  
One lifetime.  
Say the word,  
And I will follow you.

Share each day with me,  
Each night,  
Each morning.

You alone can make my song take flight,  
It’s over now,  
That music of the night.

And like that, the play was over. The curtains were drawn, and everyone walked onto the stage to take a bow. When all the closing ceremony was concluded, Adrien strolled back to his changing room.

He was happy. He was hopeful. He didn’t care what this world would throw at him. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was completely glad to be alive. His façade was slipping away, no longer necessary. He had support and love in his life. He would be okay. He didn’t have to worry about pushing everyone away any longer.

Adrien gasped as he was slammed into the wall. He reached to shove his attacker off but stopped when he saw the face snarling down at him. He lost all sense and courage at the irate face of his father.

“How dare you!” the man hissed. “How dare you hide this secret from me! Why would you be this stupid cat boy in the first place? It’s foolish. You look like a joke. You don’t deserve to be a hero. You are some selfish, little brat who cared about no one and breaks all the rules. You can’t do anything right. If either of us should have it, it should be me!”

Adrien struggled under his father’s grip, but that merely caused the man to push on his shoulder harder, keeping him painfully pinned to the wall. 

“I know you don’t approve,” Adrien said, fear growing in him with every passing moment, “but I don’t care. I need to do what is right and good and honorable. I want to help people. All things someone like you could never do, or even understand.”

If it was possible, Gabriel grew even angrier. “How dare you! I have given you everything you could possibly need! A career! Fame! The best education!”

“What about love?” Adrien snapped back at him. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. It seemed he had taken down his precious façade just a moment too soon. And now, he was paying for it. “I never wanted any of those things! All I wanted was my father’s love! Or to have some friends! And you know what?”

Adrien mustered all of his strength and threw the man off of him. Gabriel stood, mouth hanging open at his son’s change. “I’m done with this. I’m done with you treating me as if I am nothing. I am finally getting to a better place. I am not going to let you bring me back down!”

“Fine then! See how well you do on the streets then!” his father yelled. “In the meantime, give me that ring!”

“Excuse me?” Adrien screamed in disbelief. His father did not just ask him that.

“I said, give me your miraculous. You are clearly too immature and incompetent to use it. Hand it over, or I will take it by force.”

“Go ahead and try!”

Slam!

Next thing Adrien knew, he was on the floor. What courage he had accumulated was gone once more as he lay in this familiar position. He was petrified. But he couldn't let the man above him get his miraculous. Goodness knows what wicked things it would be used for. He clinched his fist in a last-ditch attempt to prevent his abuser from getting his miraculous. He no longer cared what happened to him as long as the miraculous was safe. He waited for the fists to come down on him.

They never did.


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating early today. I'll be out really late and wasn't sure if I'll have time to post later. Didn't want to make you wait until tomorrow.
> 
> Also, Happy 4th of July to any Americans reading this today.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Adrien dared to look up. His father wore a look of absolute horror and shock, standing stock still as he stared beside them. Adrien turned to see what his father was staring at it. When he rolled over, he saw a swarm of students and teachers glaring daggers at the man.

Miss Bustier stepped forward. When she spoke, her voice was very stern with a hint of rage. “Excuse me, sir. If you will come with me, we are going to have a nice, pleasant chat with security.”

Gabriel pointed his finger at the teacher. “You can’t take me down. I will sue you. Do you have any idea who I am?”

“A very sick man,” she replied blatantly. “Now, you can either make this easier and come with me willingly, or I will have you taken off the premises by force.”

Gabriel looked like a deer in headlights. He didn’t know what to do. Adrien had to admit, it was quite satisfying to not be the one in that position for once. Karma finally kicked in. As his favorite teacher took a step forward, Gabriel seemed to realize just how screwed he was. He turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

Someone must have called security already because they were hot on his trail. He didn’t even make it to the door before being tackled, forced into handcuffs, and taken away.

Adrien was in shock. He had been at such a high point in his life, and then this. In just a few minutes, he had gone on an emotional roller coaster ride. All he could really process was how embarrassed he was to be found in such a compromising position. Which was stupid. But he didn’t know what to make of everything else.

He felt like his consciousness had left his body. This was so strange. And that was coming from a guy who runs around in a cat suit. Had his abuser really just been outed and taken away? Would all his beatings end? Would he be free of the suffocating grip of his father?

Adrien felt a hand on his shoulder. Miss Bustier was gazing at him with a gentle, saddened expression. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want her to be sad for him. He didn’t need pity. Pity was for the weak. He didn’t want to be weak. Besides, if his father was going to be convicted – as he should be – then everything would be okay.

“Why don’t you come with me?” she said softly. She acted as if she was going to break him. This sort of pissed him off. It took a lot to break him. He had never been handled lightly, so why should everyone start not. 

He decided not to let that get to him though. She didn’t know what to do in the situation and was trying her best. If he had seen some guy shoving a kid into a wall and flinging him to the ground, he would treat that kid delicately too.

He pushed himself off the ground and followed the teacher through the crowd of people. He kept his expression blank. He didn’t want anyone to know just how fast his mind was racing. Just how much his now very uncertain future scared him. He avoided eye contact with everyone. He caught sight of a few phones out. Great. Just what he needed. More reason for the press to follow him.

Once they had passed, the woman found another security officer. The three of them found an empty classroom and closed the door behind them. Adrien was instructed to sit down, and he did as he was told. They two adults started interrogating him.

“Had this happened before?” “Yes.”

“For how long?” “Since my mother died. That was about seven years ago.”

“Does it happen often?” “It didn’t at first, but now it’s almost daily.”

“Who usually helps you take care of injuries?” “No one. I do it all myself.”

“What usually happens during these situations?” “Lots of yelling and hitting. Also slapping and kicking. Sometimes if he is really mad, he will throw things at be or hit me with objects. Also choking. That’s happened a few times.”

Once he had answered all the questions to their satisfaction, he was told he might be asked to testify in court. The thought scared him. He didn’t want to do that. Sure, he wanted justice. But he didn’t want to deal with anything related to the matter anymore. He wanted to be done with this.

When the security guard left, Miss Bustier turned to him once more. “I have one last question for you.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have anyone else you can stay with? An aunt or uncle or grandparent? Old family friend?”

Adrien thought for a second before shaking his head. “No. No one I know of, anyway.”

“Okay. How about this? You can stay with me until we find somewhere more suitable. How about that?”

That was unexpected. He supposed it made sense. He was a minor. He couldn’t exactly stay on his own. Well, not legally. He was fully capable of taking care of himself. But there was no telling what would happen with his house and all the staff his father hired. 

Adrien couldn’t believe all this was happening.

He realized the lady was waiting on his response, so he nodded his head in agreement. She smiled down at him. “Great. Now. I have a few things I need to take care of here. Once I’m done, we can stop by your house and let you pick up what you need. Sound good?”

Adrien nodded.

She walked out the door, leaving Adrien sitting by himself. He stayed there and tried to process all that had transpired. He was going to get justice for all the pain he endured. He was going to be free of his father. That meant he didn’t have to be so careful of his persona, faking how he was feeling all the time. He would no longer have to meticulously cover bruises and scars all the time. He could spend time with whoever he wanted and do whatever he wanted. He no longer needed to live in fear. He could be free to feel and not be scared of getting hurt because of it.

But, he was losing what little family he had left. Sure, the man never acted like family, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t. That didn’t mean Adrien didn’t love him. Or wouldn’t miss him deep down. He wanted change, but he still wanted a family.

There was a knock. Adrien looked up to see Marinette peeking in. “Hey. Can I come in?”

“Hi. Absolutely.”

Stepping slowly, she entered and sat down beside him. “I heard what happened.”

“I figured.”

She rested her hand on his. “This is why you lashed out all the time, isn’t it? And why you always hide what you’re feeling? And why you refused to open up and talk to people? You’re scared of getting hurt? Because he taught you to be?”

Adrien hung his head. “Yeah. I know. It’s pathetic.”

“Look at me,” she said. When he didn’t comply, she grasped his chin and pulled it so he faced her. Her eyes were filled with so much love. Love he felt he didn’t deserve. But he clung to it anyway. 

“That is not pathetic. The fact that you pushed through all of this shows how strong you are. Everyone needs a way to cope with trauma. So you didn’t choose a good option. So what? You’ve learned from it. You’ve grown as a person. I’ve seen it. And the fact that you became a superhero who helps other people in dangerous and harmful situations shows where your heart is.”

Adrien looked into her eyes. She was speaking so genuinely. She did believe he was good. She believed he was strong. She thought of his as more than just a failure and waste of time. And for the first time, he started to believe it himself.

He had hope.

That hope continued to grow. His father was sentenced to a life in prison. Adrien would never have to face him again. He was somewhat sad about this. On one side, he felt like he deserved a second chance. He had gotten one, after all. And the man was his last living relative. On the other hand, he was oh so happy the man was out of his life for good.

Adrien loved living with Miss Bustier. She was so encouraging and fun to be with. She made him feel special. She helped him get his grades up – somehow. She became the parent, the mother he had longed for for so many years.

He and Marinette started dating. They were happy together. They supported each other. Marinette continued to change his outlook on life. Her family was so welcoming to him. He felt as if he had been there all along.

He continued to be Chat Noir. Mysteriously, Hawkmoth completely disappeared. Like, poof. Gone. No idea why. Couldn’t care less. But he was glad that was over. He could relax and take care of the smaller things, still helping people but not having to be in the spotlight or great peril.

He dropped his modeling career. He was ecstatic to be out of that world. He was never going back. Now, he could focus on becoming a surgeon.

Most importantly, he learned how to stop hiding who he was and how he was feeling all the time. He learned to trust people. He learned to let down his guard.

Finally, he could discard his façade. And he hoped to never wear it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! Adrien gets his happy ending! Hooray!
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support and comments! I have loved seeing how much people liked this story and have gotten invested in it. I honestly did not expect it to do this well. So glad so many people enjoyed it!
> 
> Also, I am currently in the writing stages of another fanfiction. This one is a Marvel/Spiderman one. It's a really long one. Like, crazy long. Like, I'm on chapter forty and am not even near the climax kind of long. If any of you are interested in that, feel free to keep an eye out for when I start posting.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for your support! It's meant the world to me.
> 
> Peace out,  
> CouchNinja


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